Nissan Demos Automated Parking Technology with Office Chairs

What’s the next best thing to a self-parking vehicle? How about office chairs that automatically slide back into position under a table after a meeting is finished.

Nissan Motor Co. is demonstrating the system in a clever new video to promote its autonomous vehicle technologies. Motion detection cameras at each corner of the room pinpoint each chair’s location, and they can be returned to their preset places when prompted—by a hand clap, for example.

A base platform with four rollers enables 360° rotation and floor movement in every direction, while maintaining stability. The cameras and other sensors are teamed with local wi-fi and an on-board controller to navigate the chairs around the room, avoiding other objects and straightening them back into position.

The technology frees people from the “troublesome task” of rearranging chairs after a meeting, Nissan notes. The video also shows users riding the chairs as they scoot around the room. There are no plans to produce the self-parking office chairs.