Nice concept video. This could actually be done in reality for a reasonable price if you got rid of the autonomous guidance and flocking behavior and instead used optical or magnetic guide strips, as warehouses do. Still might be too expensive for most libraries, but I like the concept a lot.

I just don't GET it's purpose! Is it really too much of an effort to go find a seat, after selecting a book in the library? If people want to read between the aisles couldn't we just place a few of stationary benches at the end of them? In a nation of with alarming obesity rates, do we really want to discourage the minimum mobility it requires to walk back and forth in the library? Other than for handicap people being able to take a load off wherever they may be, I don't see a plausible application for this.

I totally agree with Seanymphette. This effort qualifies as a technical experiment only and serves no practical purpose whatsoever. A waste of time and financial means really.

Well if you think about it, why did we invent the electric start, couldn't we just hand crank it? or why invent cars at all? we could just walk.

My point is, it's not what it is now, it's what it will lead to in the future and help shape it. Everything needs a start point, why not a little chair to follow you around, next it'll be a robotic book carier for school children (because like it or not they're forced to carry many books which can and has damaged backs). Later down the road, with the technology we see here, it can be IV drip stands that follow us or our loved ones around. Who knows what this can lead to.

I couldn't see neither from the writings nor from the video whether this has been done already or it is just a concept. Is the video fake or the researcher has built that number of robotic chairs and they are actually located in a library? Any ideas?

@enghemin: It's a design student's concept video that primarily uses stop-motion to animate the chairs.