The Internet of Things is expected to revolutionize our daily routines, enhancing how we live and interact. While it has made some improvements, the rise of “smart” devices has also rendered us more careless and complacent. A striking example of this is a recent incident where a driverless vehicle failed to park itself and instead drove into traffic.
In a recent social media clip, security footage shows the driver of an SUV stepping out and instructing the vehicle to self-park. What follows is both embarrassing for the car and perilous for the driver. The incident occurred in China, involving a Li Auto L9, a premium electric SUV designed for six passengers that is exclusively available in the Chinese market. Li Auto promotes the L9 as its flagship model and refers to it as a “smart” SUV.
In the 90-second video, we observe the driver, presumably the owner, gripping the door handle for an extended period, likely to activate a command. He then walks away towards a building while gazing at his phone. However, before he even steps through the building’s entrance, the Li Auto L9 starts its parking process. For the next 45 seconds, it continuously inches forward and backward but never successfully positions itself to back into the parking spot.
At around the 55-second mark, after a brief pause, the electric SUV does the unexpected: it gives up and drives away. It potentially seeks another parking space or simply decides to leave the area behind.
Unlike a human driver, the SUV doesn’t speed out of the parking lot. Instead, it departs slowly, reminiscent of a new driver transitioning from a learner’s permit to a full license. Thanks to the L9’s advanced driver-assistance features, it manages to avoid colliding with a Kei truck. About five seconds later, the owner reappears, still distracted by his phone, to retrieve his vehicle.
However, the L9 is now obstructing the road, facing the wrong direction. Although the street is not heavily congested, it does experience regular traffic from scooters, mini trucks, passenger vehicles, and construction equipment. As it backs up (for some reason), the SUV nearly collides with a red hatchback.
At this point, chaos ensues as everyone tries to steer clear of the wayward SUV. Scooters are forced to use the sidewalk, and cars are moving into oncoming traffic lanes. One might speculate that the L9’s owner has disabled the Auto Park function; nonetheless, as he stands there attempting to navigate around the hatchback, the L9 continues its self-driving antics.
Eventually, the situation calms enough for the owner to safely re-enter his vehicle. The end.
Or is it? The owner could have parked the vehicle in the time it took to capture this video. However, the parking area lacked standard marked spaces typical of American parking lots; instead, it resembled a long, wide driveway with randomly painted white boxes. With only one camera angle available, the unpainted areas could represent garage entrances or large walkways. Regardless, the “smart” SUV was left befuddled. Fortunately, no collisions occurred, and no one was harmed. It’s likely that passing pedestrians didn’t even realize the Li Auto L9 was unoccupied.
While some smart technology is beneficial and functions as intended, similar to my father’s newly installed pacemaker that synchronizes with a monitor to provide real-time data to doctors, other advanced technologies, particularly those meant to replace human tasks, have demonstrated they are not quite ready. They may one day be, but its uncertain if that will occur in my lifetime. We should consider ourselves fortunate if all such technological mishaps are as harmless as this failed parking episode.
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