Automaker Nissan will allow guests at a Japanese inn to try out self-parking slippers in March. A high-tech homage to Japanese tradition, the slippers wheel themselves to the inn’s entrance upon the press of a button. The ryokan also featured similarly equipped tatami mats and tables. Nissan’s initiative was designed to showcase the self-parking technology which it added to the LEAF electric vehicle in October 2017.  

We’re regularly dismissive of so-called ‘smart’ solutions that focus more on new technical possibilities rather than just delivering simple, effective solutions that people actually want. So why are we celebrating this undeniable gimmick?

Look at it from another angle. Nissan released the slippers to “raise awareness of automated driving technologies, and their potential non-driving applications.” Fears are growing as to the potentially job-devastating impact of automation. Making the potential benefits visible in a non-threatening, useful, fun context is a great way to put humanity at ease. The movies threatened the Terminator… instead we’re getting self-parking slippers.

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