Tokyo’s Robotic Bike Parking Garage is Awesome

In Tokyo, a lot of people ride bikes. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot, as in more people commute by bike in Tokyo than do in all of the United States. All those bikes need somewhere to go while people are at work, if they use them to commute. The solution? A gigantic, robotic, underground bike parking garage that utilizes RFID.

How's it work? Well, people drop off their bikes at the garage, where a robotic arm reads their RFID card to identify it. It then brings the bike to its designated parking spot among thousands of other bikes. At the end of the day, a swipe of the card brings your bike back to the surface in about 10 seconds. All this for about $19 a month, and you don't need to buy a lock. Totally amazing. [Treehugger]