If you're among the ones that have gone mad many times because they couldn't find their cars after a shopping tour at the mall, then you may need this gadget. And let's face it - this thing happens in a lot of areas such as airports or parks. And looking for your cars for hours could really give you headaches.

Sadly, only the Brits will have the chance to change things, as Heathrow is going to be the first airport to install a special technology that allows every car owner to find his vehicle by simply inserting the parking ticket into a special machine that has a 23-inch screen displaying a 3D image, so that you'll be able to recognize the place where you parked your car.

Apparently, the brain behind the project is Siemens, which developed the system for the 3,800-space short-term multi-storey at Heathrow's new Terminal 5.

First of all, when you enter the parking, a camera identifies the car's plate number, while the information is printed on the ticket. A central PC identifies the nearest empty bay. Illuminated arrows guide the driver to the right spot, watched by 35 infrared cameras which track all the car movements. The access to the parking lot is possible only after inputting either the registration number or the ticket into one of the 16 machines sited at the pedestrian entrances. The system quickly locates the driver's vehicle on the 3D interactive map. The rest of the process is up to you!

[IMG=2]Daily Mail reports that Hugh Fenn, a spokesman for airports operator BAA, stated: "Talking to our customers, the things they have found really important are the speed of finding a space and locating their car when they get back. Understandably they want to do that quickly. This technology is able to ensure people do that because it knows where their numberplate is parked.

Once you put your ticket or registration number in the car-finder machine, the 3-D interactive map locates your car. On that map will also be access points such as stairs and lifts. The technology is also extremely environmentally friendly. It stops people driving round and round looking for spaces, or stopping with their engine running while they wait for one."

The makers are so enthusiastic about the new idea that they even hope to reduce carbon emissions by about 397 tons a year. Given the fact that the £4.2 billion Terminal 5 is the size of Hyde Park in London and could receive 30 million passengers a year, I guess the system might be quite useful! Long live Siemens!