Wiredreports that a robotic parking structure at the Garden Street Garage in Hoboken, New Jersey trapped all of the cars inside it for several days in a row. The robot stopped parking cars when its software was stopped by Robotic Parking of Clearwater, Florida after a contract dispute with the city.
The Hoboken garage is one of a handful of fully automated parking structures that make more efficient use of space by eliminating ramps and driving lanes, lifting and sliding automobiles into slots and shuffling them as needed. If the robot shuts down, there is no practical way to manually remove parked vehicles.
In the days that followed, both sides dragged each other into court. Robotic accused Hoboken of violating its copyright. "This case is about them using software without a license," said Dennis Clarke, chief operating officer of Robotic Parking, in a telephone interview last week.
At the same time, Hoboken accused Robotic of setting booby traps in the code, causing the garage to malfunction. Then Robotic accused Hoboken of endangering its business by allowing a competitor into the garage.
In the meantime, many of the garage's customers simply couldn't get their cars out.
This story highlights a big downside of parking in a robot-powered parking garage. Your car could become trapped inside if there is a malfunction or if there is a contract dispute between the city and the robot and software provider. On the plus side, it can save you from having to navigate up several levels of a busy parking garage as you struggle to find a parking spot.
Wired 
