WHAT IT IS?
The Pro Pilote Park Ryokan, located 50 miles southwest of Tokyo, is the first hotel that has partnered with Nissan to incorporate self-driving items in the hotel. The technology company expanded from creating self-driving cars to various departments in 2018. With a very subtle design, they have made self-driving slippers to facilitate locals in their stays, adapt to costumes, and provide a new experience for foreigners. While reducing staff and creating a more pleasing and aesthetic environment, the slippers entertain the guests and make it their touch point moment—a slice of their wonderful experience.
According to Hawkins in The Verge article, the self-driving slippers have two tiny wheels, a motor, and a sensor. They are pre-programmed with the Nissan Leaf car system to return to their resting spot when unused. The idea is to implement more of the concept of self-driving items, and by merging into the hospitality industry, the guests can start familiarizing themselves with it. A Nissan spokesman stated in a Reuters article, “The self-parking slippers are meant to raise awareness of automated driving technologies and their potential, non-driving applications,”
WHY IT´S COOL?
- Entertainment: This new technology is a wow factor for guests. It provides a modern attraction that will be memorable.
- Hands-free comfort: In Japan’s culture, shoes are not allowed in rooms, meaning guests must take their shoes on and off multiple times a day. This new technology lets guests feel free to drop their shoes anywhere and then return to their designated resting place.
- Labor cost saving: the main goal is to reduce labor needs in the hotel.
- Aesthetically pleasing: having a technology that immediately organizes the space instantly gives the hotel a more pleasing aesthetic look.
- Minimalistic image: The company’s idea of making it a very subtle and straightforward design complies with every guest’s style and liking. Therefore, it would be a pair of shoes anyone could wear and share on social media.
WHY IT HAS FUTURE GROWTH POTENTIAL?
This innovation has future growth potential due to how technology grows daily. We live in a world where workers are being replaced by technology, and less labor is needed from humans for the world to function. Every day, we will have to make less effort to live; for example, the invention of self-driving cars, which links to the self-driving slipper because they both use the same system. Taking off your shoes and placing them in a corner or driving to a destination does not require much effort, but it’s how the world will develop in a couple of years. This new creative invention will not die or stay where it originated; it will grow and spread because, in the future, everything will be self-driven or automatic.
Hawkins, Andrew (Feb 2018) “Forget self-driving cars – these self-driving slippers are the future we deserve.”
https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/3/16965772/nissan-self-driving-slipper-propilot-leaf
Reuters, (Jan 2018) “With self-parking slippers, Nissan drives Japanese hospitality to a new level“
Science of the Time
Felipe Ignacio Ib��ez Fern�ndez de la Reguera
Lama Yousef M Alturkstani
It’s a really interesting idea! It combines technology and hospitality in a fun and practical way, and the simple design makes it look nice, but I wonder if relying too much on technology might diminish the personal touch that the hotel staff provides. Overall, it sounds like a unique experience worth trying!
Batool Alawi S Alsafwani
Tiago Rafael Pinho Ribeiro
anas alsaedi