It’s an important tradition in Japan to remove one’s shoes before entering a home to keep the indoors clean at all times. This custom has been around for centuries and is still practiced in Asian homes.
This old tradition is being updated with new technology. Introducing self-parking slippers!
Nissan Motor Co. has developed smart slippers that don’t just sit around idle when not being used. Instead, they park themselves at the entrance of the home.
A state-of-the-art hotel called The ProPILOT Park Ryokan in Yokohama, Japan, has rooms that have self-parking slippers. When the slippers are not in use, they are programmed to detect surrounding objects and safely return themselves to their original position.
Each slipper is equipped with Nissan’s ProPILOT Park autonomous parking technology to “drive & park” across the wooden lobby floor using two tiny wheels, a motor, and sensors.
What sets this traditional Japanese inn, or ryokan, apart is that it’s not only the slippers that are smart, even the tables and cushions are equipped with a special version of Nissan’s ProPILOT Park autonomous parking technology. When not in use, they robotically return to their designated spots at the push of a button.
