I was trying to get my car out after someone inconsiderately stopped theirs too close. It involved a lot of spinning of the wheel, shifting between 'r' & '1' , punctuated with casting aspersions on the parentage of people who haven't learnt to park properly and the instructors who trained them.

I feel there must be an additional 'and' somewhere in the previous sentence, but can't find the proper place to put it. Oh well.

I propose an automatic gearbox attachment which selects between forward and reverse, based on distance data from sensors mounted on front and rear bumpers. If you are close to an obstacle in front, but there is some wriggle room at the back obviously you can only go back. And vice versa.

This also helps with the situations where I've forgotten it is in reverse and accidentally back into something while intending to drive off the way I was facing.
-- neelandan, Jan 31 2019

[1] Parallel parking wheel https://www.youtube...watch?v=xzD0scGdwQY
Mentioned in my anno: a fifth wheel, oriented transversely at the back of the car, that can be lowered to move the back of the car sideways. I think I've linked to another video or page about it before, on some other idea. [notexactly, Feb 03 2019]

[2] Traffic-Busting Truck https://www.smpmach.../kevin/traffic.html
Mentioned in my anno: truck with mecanum-wheeled stilts. Made for the TV show Prototype This! [notexactly, Feb 03 2019]

[2] Traffic-Busting Truck video https://www.youtube...watch?v=bTZgHtkd_WM
Video of the above [notexactly, Feb 03 2019]

[2ish] Hum Rider https://www.popular...king-elevating-car/
Not mentioned in my anno, but also found: another stilted vehicle that drives above other vehicles [notexactly, Feb 03 2019]

[3] Liddiard Wheels https://www.youtube...watch?v=FKVIjhiw1Dc
Mentioned in my anno: omni-tires for cars [notexactly, Feb 03 2019]

[1] Parallel parking wheel—1950s https://www.youtube...watch?v=296E57CxNw4
Mentioned in my anno: same concept as link 1, but older video with narration [notexactly, Feb 03 2019]

[4] EO "robotic car" https://www.youtube...watch?v=3pC-JJJW-l8
Mentioned in my anno: car whose wheels turn so that it can turn in place like a Mars rover and drive sideways [notexactly, Feb 03 2019]

[4] Student-modified car with similar capabilities to the EO https://www.youtube...watch?v=ErX96vF__tI
Mentioned in my anno: car whose wheels turn so that it can turn in place like a Mars rover and drive sideways [notexactly, Feb 03 2019]

This situation can also be solved with more horsepower and traction.
-- RayfordSteele, Jan 31 2019


To add to the good [RayfordSteele] above, if you can't go AROUND your obstacle, go OVER or THROUGH. Bigger wheels and/or explosives...
But the (actual) idea has merit too.
-- neutrinos_shadow, Jan 31 2019


//the proper place to put it//

You could find it if you hadn't parked the clauses so close together.
-- pertinax, Jan 31 2019


You're right - cassette tape players had auto-reverse decades ago. Why is it taking so long for the car industry to catch up?

Alternatively get one of those fancy new cars with automatic parking.
-- hippo, Jan 31 2019


What [Ray] said.

Just drive a sufficiently substantial vehicle. Roll backwards and forwards until you have enough additional space, then simply drive off.

This also provides a useful learning point for the former owners of the vehicles you crush in the process. "Do not park too close to vehicles much bigger and better constructed than yours." Something to ponder on while waiting for the towtruck.
-- 8th of 7, Jan 31 2019


Two small caterpillar tracks, at 90 degrees to usual direction of travel.

The tracks can be lowered from the underside of the vehicle, slightly raising the car and they inch their way out of the narrow parking bit.

Retract the tracks, which lowers the car down onto the road surface, drive away.

Or just get one of them exo's Ripley uses in Alien 2 only mildly crushing the obstructing vehicle(s).
-- not_morrison_rm, Jan 31 2019


After reading the annotations, I think a purely mechanical contraption could be devised: couple the front bumper to the reverse gear, and the rear bumper to knock it back into forward.

This might, however, have unintended consequences when you encroach too far into the zebra stripes and an enraged pedestrian kicks your bumper to express his disgust.
-- neelandan, Feb 01 2019


// I feel there must be an additional 'and' somewhere in the previous sentence, but can't find the proper place to put it. Oh well. //

It goes between "wheel" and "shifting", instead of that comma. Spinning the wheel and shifting gears were the things the process involved a lot of, while these together were punctuated with casting aspersions, so that's not an item in the list.

// Two small caterpillar tracks, at 90 degrees to usual direction of travel. The tracks can be lowered from the underside of the vehicle, slightly raising the car and they inch their way out of the narrow parking bit. Retract the tracks, which lowers the car down onto the road surface, drive away. //

Reminds me of two things: the parallel parking wheel [links 1], and the vehicle with mecanum- wheeled stilts that can drive or park above other vehicles [links 2]. While looking up those, I found there is also now a set of omniwheels (really more like omni-tires and supporting wheels) for cars [link 3], and a couple of cars with wheels that can turn sideways [links 4]; those might also help in this situation.

// [+] Use microphones. They can measure separation to -5mm. //

Hmm?
-- notexactly, Feb 03 2019


Perhaps driverless cars will always park at a distance from other cars that permits easy egress for the cars they automatically park next to.
-- beanangel, Feb 04 2019


[+] for "rock me out of this" function.
-- FlyingToaster, Feb 04 2019



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