German engineering and electronics company Bosch has launched new smart parking technologies and services with an aim to simplify the search for parking lots, as well as to make the entire parking process automated.

Bosch member of the board of management Dr Hoheisel said: "The mobility of the future starts today, with smart parking."

Customers who could opt for Bosch parking solutions include vehicle manufacturers and parking garage operators, along with officials of cities and communities across the world.

"The mobility of the future starts today, with smart parking."

Hoheisel added: "In 2016, our sales in driver assistance will exceed one billion euros."

Bosch stated that its 2,500 engineers from across the globe, are researching ways to develop driver assistance systems, as well as automated driving. This number is nearly 500 more than last year.

Bosch has collaborated with Mercedes-Benz in the development of automated parking technology.

The two partners expect the vehicles, which are equipped to work interactively with communications infrastructure in parking garages, will be capable of parking themselves.

The driver will only have to command the car to park itself, without any physical interference from them.

Over the coming few years, Bosch intends to introduce a wide range of parking assistance systems that would help drivers park accident-free or guide them into a free parking area at the touch of a button.

The company has also revealed two solutions that could reduce the time of searching for a free parking space.

The first is to install special occupancy sensors in parking areas or garages that would identify and report empty spaces.

The second would see Bosch use sensors, that are already starting to come as standard in new vehicles, to search for curbside parking.

The data received is processed in the Bosch Internet of Things (IoT) Cloud in order to provide digital maps of parking spaces.

Motorists can access these maps either online or through their car’s navigation system, which helps them to be guided directly to free parking areas.

The Bosch smart parking technology will enable cars to drive themselves to a free space in a parking garage.

The drivers can leave vehicles in a handover zone outside the garage and simply instruct it with the help of a smartphone.