If you were thinking we have seen it all, with this autonomous technology, think again. Automobile maker Nissan has just taken the autonomous competition a notch higher. Some would argue Nissan took it too high; crazy high. Nissan just debuted ProPilot Chair; a chair that moves about autonomously.
The gist with the ProPilot Chairs is that Nissan wants you to take your load off while queuing waiting for your turn to get served. As it works out, instead of you standing in line queuing, slowing moving towards the end of the line to get served. Nissan wants you to be seated on the ProPilot Chair and let it move you along the queue.
The chairs have sensors that enable them to follow one another while maintaining a safe distance between themselves. You might as well be finishing up on some work on your laptop, while you comfortably sit (not stand) in the queue.
On the flip side, there are some of the view that this development is perhaps the pro-laziness application of autonomous we have seen yet. Nonetheless, Nissan has already demoed the self-driving chairs at its headquarters in Yokohama. It has already identified restaurants as the first target customers for its ProPilot Chairs.
Restaurants across Japan are said to be currently applying to be supplied with these self-driving chairs. These restaurants want to take the load off their customers when they come in waiting to check in their reservations and bookings. Nissan is said to be preparing to supply the Pro-Pilot Chairs to restaurants that make the order by 2017.
However, if you live outside Japan, you might have to wait longer. Nissan primary target, for now, seems to be its home country, but that is just another reason why your next vacation trip should be in Yokohama. As you explore the local cuisine, you get driven around a restaurant in a self-driving car.