Japan cures parking ills with underground storage tube for bikes

Japan is probably where most great ideas are born. From a 300MPH floating train recently to the PS4– it all seems out of this world. In a video recently uploaded by Culture Japan on YouTube, presenter Danny Choo (aka tokyostormtrooper) shows us Japan’s newest solution to its overcrowded cities– a parking tube that stores bicycles in the subterranean depths of the earth.

The company behind this valet, Eco-Cycle, made the process incredibly simple for cyclists. He/she can simply scoot a bicycle into a well-defined area where it is then whisked underground by the tube machine. Your RFID-tagged bicycle will then be kept safe and sound together with up to 200 potential companions.

So as shown in the video the process is pretty simple. There’s a microchip located at the front part of the bicycle’s wheel which is then recognized and authenticated by the parking machine. If you have an account the doors will simply open sesame. After some thoughtful Japanese announcements concerning your safety and personal possessions, your bike will be gripped and slid into the machine where it is then stored.

To retrieve, you simply swipe a card that prompts robotic arms and other behind-the-scene tech to get down to their business and pop your bicycle back up in one piece. All in all, the process seems to be surprisingly fast and simple. The company responsible for these amazing machines is said to start rolling out more across Japan in the “near future.”

The television host, Danny Choo, points out that the lack of space in Tokyo has become of major concern over the years. This design is an ingenious solution where “bikes are sucked and drawn deep into the depths of the earth,” to relieve the street of jam-packed parking lots.

The spokesperson in the video says that bicycles will also now be “safe from weather and pranksters.” Though probably more importantly is the fact that these bicycles would be safe from potential thieves. Taking it a step further, imagine this concept being replicated to store your car in the future.

Images via Culture Japan