THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Only a few in Technopark know what a metal structure coming up on the campus actually is. The structure, situated on a five-cent plot, would soon be able to park more than a hundred cars.
An answer to the parking woes plaguing the area, the Automated Multi-level Modular Automobile Parking System (AMMAPS), a first of its kind, is getting ready for demonstration on the Technopark campus. The structure put up for demonstration can hold 17 vehicles.
“Only the roof and covering remain to be completed. The parking system is ready for demo,” said Aubin Joe, R&D head of Joy Joe’s Safe Parking Private Ltd, which is developing the parking structure at Technopark.
The project has been initiated as part of the Technopreneur Promotion Programme (TePP), where Technopark promotes individual innovators through a support mechanism. Technopark is funding ` 15 lakh and the rest of the amount is raised by the company.
Parking a vehicle in AMMAPS is a simple process. Drive the car into the entry bay and leave. A vertical mechanism raises the automobile and pushes it into the vacant slot and deposits the vehicle there.
The automated storage and retrieval of the automobiles within a stipulated time is controlled from a central computer.
Aubin’s father Joy Abraham, managing director of the company, is the brain behind the project. Joy, who served as a medical illustrator, had secured a patent for his innovation in 2007. Joy is based in Ulloor.
Interestingly, a parking system which can hold 50 cars is portable. “It can be installed anywhere based on the requirement,” said Joy.
According to Aubin, the AMMAPS will save space, time and energy. The automobiles are shifted from the entrance into the adjacent slots one by one.
A moving cradle mounted on a central shaft will carry vehicles to the vacant slots. The vehicle will be retrieved using the reverse mechanism.
After the demo, the system will be expanded so that it could hold 108 cars on five cents of land, said Aubin. Once commissioned, users will get SMS replies on the availability of parking space. “This will help motorists to reserve slots during peak hours,” he said.
Aubin has been receiving enquirers on the system from various quarters. However, the father-son duo are now focusing on the success of the project in Technopark.