Google, Siemens to help navigate and park cars

Technologies are on the way that promise to make car navigation and even parking a piece of cake.

The U.S. subsidiary of German car maker Volkswagen AG has teamed with Google Inc. and Nvidia Corp. to develop a navigation system that will display a 3D (three-dimensional) view of a route, instead of the 2D line drawings displayed by current systems, the companies said Friday.

Drivers and passengers will be able to “instinctively recognize where they are” in relation to the surrounding topography, according to the companies, especially in urban areas, which they say will be depicted with accurate size relationships between buildings and roads.

The prototype system includes a touch screen, an interface to Google Earth, advanced graphics and 3D maps, in addition to GPS (Global Positioning System) connectivity. Google Earth is a free satellite image-based mapping service, launched last year.

Through its Electronics Research laboratory in Palo Alto, California, Volkswagen is working on other advancements, including automatic personalized information updates.

The companies didn’t say when products based on their development work would be available.

A separate technology under development by German electronics giant Siemens AG aims to help drivers not only locate a parking spot but also park their cars.

The product, Park Mate, will scan streets for a parking space using ultrasonic sensors and radar. When the device detects a suitable space, it alerts the driver to stop and wait. It then takes control of the steering wheel, telling the driver only when to move forward or backward and eventually halt. The driver can follow the process on an inboard navigational screen.

Siemens is testing the technology in a BMW and Audi, according to spokesman Enno Pflug. It uses several components including sensors, an electronic control unit and other networking components.

The technology must be built into cars before they leave the factory, according to Pflug. “It’s not something that people can install in their cars by themselves,” he said.

Siemens expects the technology to go into mass production in 2008, Pflug said.