Robot Tow Rigs Are Coming To Take Your Illegally Parked Car

Every day, the reality of a dystopian future becomes more real. Recently, it was Ford applying to patent a method for autonomous cars to repossess themselves if owners miss enough payments. Or it’s the fact that I can’t really modify my car in California. But in the United Kingdom, they’ve gone a step further by using robot towing dollies to pluck cars out of tight spaces.

No need to clean your glasses or rub your eyes; this is true. In a concerning video posted to Instagram, an unmanned towing dolly is seen plucking a Volvo XC60 from a parking spot reserved for disabled folks. Beyond the fact that the owner of the XC60 was likely in the wrong for parking in that spot without a placard authorizing it, the fact that there is a tank-tracked towing robot lifting all four tires off the ground and simply removing this heavy SUV from a parking spot is the stuff of nightmares.