A high-tech Lazy Susan gives personality to a motor maker

You probably haven’t heard of Nidec Corporation, but you might have experienced some of its handiwork. The Japanese electric motor maker’s products apparently feature in everything from disk drives to cars.

The company’s latest concept brings IoT to the world of Chinese restaurants. A video presents an ingenious solution for people who are too tactless, clumsy or indeed lazy to manipulate a Lazy Susan by hand.

Nidec’s ‘Smart China Table’ is a Lazy Susan controlled via smartphone. As well as being able to revolve the tray using a screen icon, diners can also summon dishes (such as water spinach) through voice recognition. The innovation also deftly takes care of issues like who gets the last dumpling and—the most awkward challenge—who pays the bill.

The work was developed by dot by dot, an independent Japanese design and technology agency.

Campaign’s view: Great fun and a fine way to showcase Nidec’s claim of producing ‘motors that move the world’. Motors are something we rarely think about but that offer endless potential for creativity. The check roulette was an especially nice touch. Best of all, we now see what would otherwise be just another faceless corporation as having a sense of humour.