Too lazy to stand in line? Nissan has an autonomous chair just for you
Sure, there's an automotive tie-in, but it's fun to pretend that there isn't.
Standing is for suckers. Yes, I'm also talking to you, silly standing-desk people. Sitting is the way forward, the lazy future we all envisioned. Nissan's bringing the future to the present with the help of its ProPilot Chair, which is an autonomous chair that I definitely did not make up right now.
Meant to alleviate the strain of queuing, which I'm told is the British pastime, the ProPilot chair is an autonomous chair that keeps the line moving. Cameras follow the chair in front, and when the person at the head of the line stands up to do whatever, the now-empty chair moves to the back of the line, and the whole process starts over.
Naturally, there's an automotive tie-in. The ProPilot name comes from the suite of semi-autonomous driving tech found in the Japanese-market Nissan Serena. It's a single-lane system that follows the car ahead, utilizing both steering and braking. There's a good chance ProPilot will come to the US, as well.
The whole point of the chair, and ProPilot in general, is to alleviate tedium. Slogging through a commute can put a strain on the driver, and standing around for an hour while waiting for brunch can get equally annoying. If you want to try the chair out in person, head on down to Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, where the company has demo units set up.