When your better half says “let’s go to that hot new nightclub,” do you cringe at the thought of the lineup you’ll encounter?
Do you weigh the consequences of choosing between your partner’s desires to go out and your desire to stay in and avoid the queue?
Autonomous chair
Autonomous chair
Autonomous chair
Well, if you simply can’t stand the idea of lining up for any kind of event, Nissan may have the solution that will let you relax while you wait in line for admission – and maintain peace at home.
The company has unveiled the newest in a series of innovations designed to bring the benefits of its Intelligent Mobilty blueprint to the daily lives of customers. Building on the success of the “Intelligent Parking Chair” earlier this year, the new ProPILOT Chair can negotiate lineups on behalf of its occupant, sparing then the hassle of standing in line.
Named after Nissan’s autonomous technology, the chair detects and automatically follows the chair ahead of it, maintaining a fixed distance and travelling along a set path. It closely resembles how the ProPILOT system for vehicles–available on the Serena minivan in Japan since August — maintains a safe distance behind the car ahead, and ensures the vehicle stays in the centre of its lane.
The ProPILOT Chair appeals to anyone who has queued for hours outside a crowded venue, by eliminating the tedium and physical strain of standing in line. The same philosophy underpins Nissan’s ProPILOT autonomous driving technology designed to ease driver workload by assisting with the most tiring and repetitive aspects of driving in heavy traffic. Nissan is ensuring that the chair has plenty of real-world testing. Between now and Dec. 27, restaurants across Japan can apply to use the chairs by tweeting their name and webpage along with the hashtags #NissanProPilotChair #Wanted. For all other Twitter users, the recommended hashtag is #NissanProPilotChair.
The chairs will appear at selected restaurants in 2017 and I’ll wager people will be lining up for them.