Seattle's first big robotic parking garage opens

Residents of this luxury Seattle tower drive their car onto a platform, exit the car, and punch in a code. Then their car disappears down a hole.

That's called "parking" at the Spire.

Upon seeing the technology demonstrated for the first time, most people say: "Whoa." And then they want to see what's down the hole.

“We’re the only ones that have a key to this door, because the parking system is a building-sized machine and no one should be in the lower basement levels while the machine is in operation, except skilled technicians and engineers," said Michael Dennison with the US company that distributes the Swiss-made robotic parking equipment.

Seattle's first automated parking system is part of the Spire, a 41-story luxury condominium tower constructed on the edge of Belltown, not far from the Space Needle.