YOU arrive at the hotel and a row of slippers scamper back into formation.
Now. I know you, you’re rubbing your eyes and thinking…This is a wind up.
But it’s Japan – and this is the ProPILOT Park Ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn, or ryokan. But traditional only in a modern sense.
Autonomous self-parking slippers vie for your attention along with tables and cushions that scuttle back into place to keep the ryokan neat and tidy.
It is, truly, a whole new world of autonomy.
Of course, it’s a clever way for Nissan to demonstrate its new ProPILOT Park autonomous parking technology. When not in use, the slippers automatically return to their designated spots at the push of a button.
ProPILOT Park was first introduced on the all-new Nissan LEAF and it detects surrounding objects and lets drivers automatically park the vehicle in a selected parking space by pressing a button. The same tech is now part of the amenities to entertain guests at the ProPILOT Park Ryokan.
It delivers a whole new meaning to that old fifties cliché of ‘bring me my pipe and slippers!’