Nissan develops an autonomous chair for people who can't stand waiting in line

YOKOHAMA, Japan, Sept. 27, 2016 /CNW/ - Nissan today unveiled the latest in a series of innovations designed to bring the benefits of its Intelligent Mobility blueprint to the daily lives of customers. Following the success of the Intelligent Parking Chair earlier this year, the newly developed ProPILOT Chair negotiates waiting in line on behalf of its occupant, sparing them the hassle of standing in line.

For a video of the ProPILOT Chair, please visit: https://youtu.be/pP1KGwMAAe8

Named after the company's flagship autonomous driving technology, the ProPILOT Chair detects and automatically follows the chair ahead of it, maintaining a fixed distance and travelling along a set path. This closely resembles how the ProPILOT system for vehicles — available on the Serena minivan in Japan since August — maintains a safe distance behind the car ahead, and ensures that the vehicle stays in the center of its lane.

The ProPILOT Chair appeals to anyone who has waited in line for hours outside a crowded restaurant; it eliminates the tedium and physical strain of standing in line. The same user-friendly philosophy underpins Nissan's ProPILOT autonomous driving technology, which was designed to ease driver workload by assisting with the most tiring and repetitive aspects of driving in heavy highway traffic. The unifying concept behind both is Intelligent Mobility, Nissan's vision for how cars will be driven, powered, and integrated into society.

Nissan will also ensure that the ProPILOT Chair receives plenty of real-world testing. Between now and December 27, restaurants across Japan can apply to use the chairs by tweeting their name and webpage along with the hashtags #NissanProPilotChair #Wanted. For all other Twitter users, the recommended hashtag is #NissanProPilotChair.

The chairs will appear at selected restaurants in 2017. In the meantime, from September 29 through October 2, the public gallery at Nissan's Global Headquarters in Yokohama will play home to an exhibit featuring six of the chairs. Visitors will be able to try the chairs and see them in action in a queue simulation.

To download a high-res version of the ProPILOT Chair video, please visit: http://nissannews.com/en-CA/nissan/canada/releases/ca-nissan-develops-an-autonomous-chair-for-people-who-can-t-stand-waiting-in-line

Notes for editors
ProPILOT has been available in Japan since last month on the redesigned Nissan Serena, a popular minivan model. As the first system from a Japanese automaker to introduce a combination of steering, accelerator and braking that can be operated in full automatic mode, ProPILOT testifies to Nissan's industry-leading approach to implementing autonomous driving technology in its vehicles.

About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized annually by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year since 2010. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the U.S. media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.

About Nissan Motor Co.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 247,500 employees globally, Nissan sold 5.32 million vehicles and generated revenue of 11.38 trillion yen (USD 103.6 billion) in fiscal year 2014. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle. It is the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment. For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

About Nissan Canada Inc.
Nissan Canada Inc. (NCI) is the Canadian sales, marketing and distribution subsidiary of Nissan Motor Limited and Nissan North America, Inc. NCI directly employs 306 full-time staff across offices in Vancouver (BC), Mississauga (ON), and Kirkland (QC). There are 191 independent Nissan dealerships, 39 Infiniti retailers and 45 Nissan Commercial Vehicle dealers across Canada. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year and World Car of the Year awards.

More information about Nissan in Canada and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.nissan.ca and www.infiniti.ca.

SOURCE Nissan Canada Inc.

Video with caption: "VIDEO: Nissan today unveiled the latest in a series of innovations designed to bring the benefits of its Intelligent Mobility blueprint to the daily lives of customers: the newly-developed ProPILOT Chair.". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20160927_C2587_VIDEO_EN_782830.mp4&posterurl=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos.newswire.ca%2Fimages%2F20160927_C2587_PHOTO_EN_782830.jpg&order=1&jdd=20160927&cnum=C2587

Image with caption: "Nissan today unveiled the latest in a series of innovations designed to bring the benefits of its Intelligent Mobility blueprint to the daily lives of customers: the newly-developed ProPILOT Chair. (CNW Group/Nissan Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160927_C2587_PHOTO_EN_782832.jpg

Media contacts: Didier Marsaud, Director, Corporate Communications, Nissan Canada, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Jenn McCarthy, Cohn & Wolfe, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]