Hyundai has developed sleek parking robots that can slide under most cars, lift them and park them automatically no engine or driver needed. The WIA system, made of flat metal slabs just 110 mm tall, uses cameras and LiDAR to locate and move vehicles weighing up to 2.2 tonnes at 1.2 metres per second.

Unveiled last year, the robots work in sync, guided by QR codes and a smart control system that can manage up to 50 units at once. It is already in use at Hyundai`s Seongsu office in Seoul and its Singapore Innovation Centre.

A similar concept was developed by China`s Shenzhen Shanyi Technologies to remove illegally parked cars more efficiently than traditional tow trucks.