Bike parking system in Japan

Automated bike parking system accepts your bike and sends it into the 7th dimension. Returns it to our world at your command.

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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pavel_lishin

First thing I’d do upon encountering one of these: secure my camera to the basket, turn on video mode, park the bike and then retrieve it a minute later, just to see what the bike experiences.

I’d probably have to tape a flash-light to the bike, too, though.
Itsumishi

What I find most amazing is how the machine recognises he’s changed from a white jacket to a black jacket and spits out a white bike instead of a black bike accordingly.

He obviously likes the ‘Reversi’ look.
Anonymous

Comparing my crumbling metropolis to Tokyo reminds me of this.
Editz

Those things are crazy fast:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U7W5dbrWwc

Beats having to deal with the old-school outdoor version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlkszmwZVn4
NickeyRobo

@#12:
While I see your point, I’m sure this system uses WAY less energy and resources than driving a car or even taking a bus.
Ernunnos

It’s a heck of a lot greener than a parking garage!

Beautiful.

In less space-constrained areas where excavation wouldn’t be economical, it would be neat to see something like this built above ground and glassed in.
themark

“…someone sends a bike down there with too-fat tires and it gets stuck in the mechanism — and then what happens?”

You can’t. You need a registration card to put your bike inside (it ain’t free) and they only allow certain bike sizes/styles. The machine is also smart enough to know if the bike won’t fit, and refuses to take it. There are two of these at my station in Jiyugaoka. There is just no place to put the volume of bicycles that people ride, so this is a really good solution.

Near my office is a bike garage that holds around 5000 bikes. It’s huge, two floors and a block long. Remember where you parked.
misterfricative

We’ve seen this before: http://www.boingboing.net/2008/04/23/subterranean-japanes.html

It’s a nice idea, but it seems like there’s an awful lot that can go wrong with a system as complex as this. For instance, someone sends a bike down there with too-fat tires and it gets stuck in the mechanism — and then what happens?
Clemoh

How many bikes does that sucker hold? It seems overengineered for just one bicycle, and I’d bet expensive.
AirPillo

First thing I’d do upon encountering one of these: secure my camera to the basket, turn on video mode, park the bike and then retrieve it a minute later, just to see what the bike experiences.

I’d probably have to tape a flash-light to the bike, too, though.

Actually, you know, I’ve already seen a video of that. (footage is at the end of the video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE4fvwTBtno

This video also exposes more of how these things work and look like on the inside. Enlightening, despite my complete inability to decipher the narration.
Takuan

you really have to have seen the haystacks of rusty, abandoned bikes to appreciate this.
mooch

Was that a glimpse of the subterranean storage bay at the end of the video?
grimc

What’s the over/under for number of children who’ve gone for a ride in that thing?
gobo

#1, judging from the diagrams at the end, it holds 144 bikes.
O2

Even cooler when you can see what happens underground: http://www.geekologie.com/2008/04/automated_bike_storage_in_japa.php
acrocker

If that drawing at the end was accurate, this will hold 144 bikes (18 per level, 8 levels). Wow! that’s impressive.
Anonymous

@ #12 POSTED BY JJR1971 , DECEMBER 15, 2008 11:41 AM
“There are low-tech bike storage solutions out there, but then again, this is Japan…where Hi-Tech seems to border on a cultural imperative.”

Actually its due to the extremely limited space problems that exist in Japan. Technology just happens to be their method of choice for dealing with issues.
Anonymous

Actually the concept of the Eco-Cycle is to promote environmentally conscious designs. In Japan, there are so many cyclist near train stations, it poses a hazard by the number of bikes that crowd the area which poses a significant fall hazard. The Eco-Cycle relieves the congestion by placing the bikes underground. There are pressure plates and motion sensors built into the unit to ensure safety, and yes, it works with 2 flat tires. The overall concept of the Eco-Cycle and Eco-Park is to build these automated systems for cars and bicycles in a system that also acts as a foundation for a building. The systems can also be modified to be above grade to maximize storage capacity. The base model will hold 144 bicycles but can be increased to hold many more as the project requires.

We are actuall going to begin to market these systems here in the US for both the bicycles and the car parking systems if anyone is interested, please feel free to look at our web site at http://www.giken.com or feel free to contact me at info@gikenamerica.com
bcsizemo

Cats: All your base are belong to us.

@ 1:13

Lulz.
GregLondon

oh, man, that’d be a hell of a ride for the poor bastard who doesn’t get off the bike before putting his card in the machine. The conveyor sucks it in in under a second. Then you’re unconscious, bleeding, and jammed into an underground cavern, never to be seen again…
Amy

It’s actually going into the EIGHTH dimension, buckaroo.

—Amy
Strangepork

What happens if a fly happens to enter at the same time? bike-Fly mutant?
InsertFingerHere

Imagine if someone left a bomb in their little basket, the financial damage to vehicles could reach into the thousands, and release massive amount of compressed air into the environment.
Takuan

a little modification and you have a private gun storage facility.
Ghede

#5 Or judging by the sentence at 0:59. “up to 144 bicycles can be stored underground and are retrieved in seconds”. Diagrams. Heh.
arkizzle

It’s things like this that make me realize it will be a long time before the bicycle is seen as an equal third form of personal transport (joining cars and motorbikes) in the US and UK.

I can totally see something like this being invested-in in Germany or Holland, but have difficulty seeing this (beyond one novel example, maybe) in London.

Too pessimistic?
JJR1971

Sort of takes the “green” out of biking to work, though, doesn’t it. There are low-tech bike storage solutions out there, but then again, this is Japan…where Hi-Tech seems to border on a cultural imperative.
dewexdewex

I use a Brompton and simply take it everywhere I go: no locks required.
Lady Katey

Here’s a European looking “Bike Tree” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcSD5MsQuVo

Video is complete with silly paranoid comments about bike theives with tall ladders.
billster

#8

All your BIKE are belong to us

â€¦make your time
Jack

This stuff is great. Now it’s not like factories in Detroit would be able to manufacture parts needed for this in the U.S. right?
Takuan

ingenious tree. I would send my bike up with the front wheel nuts loose and feign an insurance accident. It is a basic principle of hanging things that there be a safety if the main point fails.
starcadia

You know what you doing.
Avram

Did anyone else notice the frame of the “All Your Base” guy inserted around 1:12?

(Oh, yeah, I see BCSizemo did.)

Greg @9, did you notice that the bike didn’t actually get pulled in until after the guy had stepped off of the little plate that surrounds the working area (about 24 seconds into the video)? I’d bet that there’s some kind of weight-detection safety mechanism there.