RoboVault: How rich boys (and girls) store their toys Posted 2009/12/11 By Myles Kornblatt
South Florida is the winter home to an international crowd of the rich and famous. But when these golden fleece snowbirds fly away in the summer, who’s going to protect their jewelry, wine, and, most importantly, exotic cars from being plundered by robbery, hurricanes, and “the help”? That’s where RoboVault comes in.
RoboVault is an uber-secure building located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that can withstand up to 200 mph winds or a category five hurricane. It offers safe deposit boxes as well as storage containers for large items such as furniture, wine collections, and vehicles.
While there are plenty of secure ways to store a car, RoboVault’s party piece is that all the storage units are delivered to the owner. In fact, there is no walking access to any storage. The only way to get a car back is by going through RoboVault’s security procedures (which includes a finger print scan, access card and security code.) An automated crane then finds the pallet with the vehicle and delivers right to the owner. Watch the whole procedure, including the BMW in storage, in the video below:
Matt Pici Director of Sales for RoboVault explains that the facility is not only designed to prevent theft and vandalism of client’s valuables, but water is also a major concern. “Many of our clients live right on the coast, and when a hurricane rolls in, they have no protection from a storm surge,” he explains. That’s why RoboVault’s building starts at 16’ above sea level and the storage units do not begin until the second floor. All this security starts at a very reasonable $440 per month for vehicles.
The technology for this operation has been around for a while in automated parking garages, but it’s doubtful that those facilities have moved this much rare iron. While Pici can’t disclose what cars are being stored in RoboVault, he can confirm that many exotic and classic car owners (especially Corvettes) have already rented storage units. “The only car that won’t fit in here is a long wheelbase Rolls-Royce Phantom,” says Pici. Which shouldn’t be much of a problem because Geeves still has to drive something that keeps the Pomeranians in comfort while fleeing a hurricane.
