It can be hard remembering where you left your slippers, which is why these self-parking slippers are so handy. Buzz60’s Nick Cardona takes us for a spin:
Japan’s famed hospitality has just stepped up a gear with the arrival of self-parking slippers, floor cushions, and even tables.
A traditional Japanese “ryokan” inn near Tokyo is testing out the new products, built by one of the nation’s car giants, Nissan.
Designed to showcase the company’s ProPilot Park autonomous technology (seen in the electric 2018 Nissan Leaf, it lets cars park themselves), the slippers and other items are fitted with a modified version comprising sensors and motors (and tiny wheels!) that steer them to their original location with a simple press of a remote button.
If you’ve ever stayed at a ryokan, you’ll know all about leaving your shoes at the entrance before stepping into a pair of slippers. Being the orderly nation that it is, Japan likes to have its ryokans looking just right for guests. A pair of slightly-out-of-place slippers might not seem like a big deal to you, but to the owner of an upmarket ryokan it will look like a scene of carnage and sweat-inducing chaos, prompting a rapid intervention by staff to put the footwear in its rightful place. Even if it is three millimeters to the left.
Video by Buzz60/Nick Cardona[/vc_message]
