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The
company placed four motion sensitive cameras in the corners of a
ceiling and used them to track regular office chairs on wheels.
The wi-fi controlled cameras detect each chair's location and
calculate a route back to its starting point.
The room layout is pre-programmed into the system, with
individual chairs assigned their own spot at the table. The
chairs have been programed to respond to the sounds of a human
clap, with each chair automatically sliding back to its
designated spot.
Nissan developed the project while working on its self-driving
car technology.
"We were actually looking at office chairs as a motif and hope
there is a need for this in some actual company, in their
meeting room," said Yuuki Tomii of Nissan's sales promotion
department.
He added: "Nissan's ultimate goal is self-driving (cars), and
the self-parking part is just one of the processes along the
way. More than thinking of them as just furniture, we hope
people can see it as how our technology can be introduced into
other objects."
Four of the self-parking chairs were displayed to the public in
Yokohama City last Friday (February 19). Nissan had already
released a video of the chairs, which quickly become a viral
internet hit, meaning local visitors were eager to try them out.
"I had heard it was still only being developed and not to the
point of being public. So I could only see here and that's why I
came," said Sachiko Kuwana at the Nissan showroom.
Some even said they wished to see it in their own homes.
"While I don't know the price, it is likely to be very expensive
for the average household. I would love to have this at home if
it was cheap enough to afford," said Shuichi Aizawa.
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