It looks like the tech world will go far with autonomous technology compared to wearable tech. We expected by now, self-driving cars will be a common thing, but it has remained to be a mirage. Meanwhile, the basic technology behind these self-driving cars, is being ported into other fields; fields that you wouldn’t have thought of.
At CES 2018, we say a California-based startup – Travelmate – release a self-driving suitcase. If that was not weird (and cool at the same time) Japan’s leading automaker, Nissan, is now making self-parking sleepers.
Yes, that is right! Nissan has partnered with a Tokyo-based inn ‘ryokan’ to make self-parking sleepers. You know Japanese are famous for doing their things in order; they are pathologically orderly. Everything must be kept right where they are supposed to be.
Being an inn, they frequently receive guests from all parts of the world; with all types of personalities trait. Let’s us just say, some guests who have been checking in at the inn are a little messier than the owner would have loved.
ryokan guests are supposed to leave their shoes right next to the door when they’re getting inside their room and wear the slipper near the door. The problem comes, when the guests are checking out of their rooms. Some guests (it has to be many of them, to prompt ryokan to seek the services of Nissan) have been leaving their slippers anywhere but at their rightful place.
Nissan came in and made custom slipper fitted with miniature sensors, motors, wheels and all the gadgetry from their ProPILOT Park autonomous technology the company uses to makes its cars park themselves.
The Nissan-made slipper can now steer themselves into their rightful place near the entrance of the room at a press of a button. The slippers’ sensors rightfully guide them to position themselves after ‘a un-orderly’ guests leaves the room, creating an atmosphere of harmony for the next arriving guests or staff.
A Nissan spokesperson, Nick Maxfield, told Reuters that the self-parking slippers would “raise awareness of automated driving technologies, and their potential, non-driving applications.”