If semiautonomous cars — that know when to speed up, turn, and brake on their own — might soon be a reality, what's so hard about making a stroller that drives itself?

That's what plenty of people in the Netherlands asked when Volkswagen's Dutch office asked its Facebook followers [1] for suggestions on how the German automaker might be able to improve other products, aside from vehicles. After an outpouring of requests from parents, the company went ahead and built a prototype stroller with more bells and whistles than some sports cars.

[2]

As seen in the above video, the stroller not only has automatic braking, but it can follow a parent around using built-in collision sensors, its own electric motor, and smart steering. Using the brand's adaptive cruise-control technology, it can even keep a fixed distance from the person in front of it.

Sure, it's just a one-off prototype — and one likely more for publicity than for mass production — but that doesn't mean we aren't now looking at our basic push strollers with a tinge of disappointment.

Would you buy one of these strollers?