Nissan ProPILOT Chair Uses Autonomous Tech For Sitting In Line

Everyone has to stand in line at some point, but not everyone enjoys it. For those times you can't stand, well, standing, Nissan has developed a new autonomous queuing chair that automatically moves the next person in line forward when appropriate. It removes the need to stand, even the need to pay attention, for the most part. When someone leaves the queue, the chair automatically moves itself to the back of the line for the next person to sit down.

If you're having trouble envisioning how the ProPILOT chairs work, watch the concept video below to see them in action. A variety of technologies are used to enable these movements; there's a weight sensor, for example, that detects when a person sits down, triggering it to get into line. When the weight sensor detects that the person has left the seat, that triggers it to move itself from the front of the line to the back.

The ProPILOT gets a lot of its tech from Nissan's autonomous vehicle projects — the company says you can experience related technology in the upcoming Serena minivan, for example. This isn't the first time Nissan has produced self-moving chairs, either. Earlier this year, we got a look at the company's smart seating that roll themselves back to their table or desk when the person sitting in them stands up.

While some cynics may say chairs like this are encouraging laziness amongst the digital generation (something something WALL-E), anyone who has had to spend hours standing in line knows what a wonderful thing seating like this is. This isn't just a fun concept that'll never see the light of day, either. Nissan plans to let Japanese restaurants apply to use its chairs soon, which will be rolled out next year.