Nissan's ProPilot tech will one day be the driving force behind the company's autonomous vehicles, but first, it's all about baby steps. For now, that means using the technology to create self-driving slippers and other objects that stow themselves away when not in use.
According to the Japanese automaker, its ProPilot technology will afford its cars full autonomy from 2020. In the meantime, however, it has been putting more rudimentary versions of the system into all kinds of things, including office seating, queue-busting chairs and, of course, partially autonomous cars currently being tested in Tokyo, along with the self-parking Nissan Leaf.
This time around, Nissan has adapted ProPilot to work in footwear, along with other mainstays of a traditional Japanese inn known as a ryokan. This style of accommodation typically includes slippers for the guests, along with low tables and floor cushions for seating.
At the ProPilot Park Ryokan, tables, cushions and slippers are fitted with a special version of the ProPilot tech. This means that once the guests have finished using them, a press of wall-mounted button will see them return to their designated storage spots.
Nissan is holding a Twitter competition offering a free night at the ProPilot Park Ryokan in Hakone Japan for one lucky pair of travelers. Beyond that, it appears more of a PR exercise than a true travel destination.
You can see it all in action in the video below, while more information about the contest is available at the source link (in Japanese).
Source: Nissan