Chairless Exoskeleton Lets You Sit Down Anywhere, Anytime

Discussion in 'Science and Nature' started by g0pher, Aug 24, 2014.

  1. #1 g0pher, Aug 24, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 24, 2014
    The Chairless Chair is an exoskeleton that attaches to your legs and lets you sit back, as if you're sitting on a chair - but, in the words of Morpheus, there is no chair. Rather than relying on the tensile strength of solid wood or plastic and the gravity-defying nature of three or more supporting legs, the Chairless Chair uses clever battery-powered mechanics to achieve the same effect. When turned off, the Chairless Chair allows you to walk around normally. Early versions of the Chair are fairly chunky - you'll certainly look mechatronic â€“ but presumably future versions might be slim enough to hide innocuously beneath your pants. Suffice it to say that there are thousands of situations where working conditions could be improved by the Chairless Chair - and lots of outdoor activities, too.
    \nThe Chairless Chair exoskeleton, developed by Swiss startup Noonee, is essentially a clever application of mechanics. The device attaches to your hips and shoes, and straps to both your thighs and calves. When activated, a damper takes the load from your thighs/ass and funnels it into the heels of your shoes. When turned, you can apparently walk around as normal. Exact details of the implementation are lacking, but it sounds like a 6-volt battery is used to vary the resistance of the damper, to offer a variety of sitting positions. The latest prototype, fashioned out of aluminium and carbon fiber, weighs around 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) and is good for around 24 hours of use (no word on whether that's 24 hours of sitting, though).
    \n[​IMG]
    \n[​IMG]
    \nAs you can probably imagine, the Chairless Chair could revolutionize everything from production line work to standing on a crowded train to camping in the great outdoors. While sitting down for prolonged periods of time can shorten your life expectancy, standing for hours on end is very stressful on your musculoskeletal system. The Chairless Chair offers a fantastic compromise, especially in situations where chairs or stools are hard to come by. There are other solutions, of course, such as the incredibly low-tech Swiss Milking Stool - essentially a one-legged stool strapped to your ass - but the Chairless Chair is much more desirable due to the ability to turn it on and off, and the ability to accommodate a range of sitting positions.
    \n[​IMG]Chairless Chair, sitting/standing in a crowded train
    \n
    “In addition to resting your leg muscles, it also provides optimal posture,” Noonee's co-founder Bryan Anastisiades tells CNN. “It keeps your back straight and can reduce the occurrence of bad postures for both healthy workers and those recovering from muscle related injuries.” A large percentage of workplace injury and illness is caused by musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which are often as a result of poor posture, standing all day, etc.
    \nBoth Audi and BMW will be trialing the Chairless Chair on their production lines later this year. There's no word on pricing or general availability, but I doubt it'll be that expensive; it's actually a fairly simple piece of gear.Noonee is initially targeting production line workers, fruit pickers, surgeons, and other groups of workers who spend hours standing every day – but the CEO, Keith Gunura, also mentions consumer uses, such as riding on a crowded train.
    \nUltimately, though, I'm still a bit uncertain about how seriously we can take a company[​IMG]who has trademarked the term “Chairolution.”
    http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/188417-rejoice-commuters-and-workers-the-chairless-chair-exoskeleton-lets-you-sit-down-anywhere-anytime

     
  2. Lol, cuz who doesnt want to wear a chair on their ass, all the time.... :p
     
  3. I can see this being popular for virtual reality gamers

    Sent from my LG-E739 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
  4. Comicon
     
  5. not a good idea. just wait until some bearded man uses it to take a shit at a urinal
     
  6. Ever take a shit while squatting? That's more how our body is designed to take a shit rather than sitting down. Comes out easier, comes off easier.. least in my experiences. It's a pain to squat and shit, otherwise I'd probably take more shits out in mother nature like the animal I am. If these could be adjusted to make squatting down easy, I could see people using them to shit.. cause I would.
     
  7. What if you want to get up quickly? I would fall over I think.
     
  8. What kind of man doesn't shit in mother nature?
     
  9. I shit in a tree log in nature once.

    And you know what?

    When I came back 8 YEARS LATER it was gone :blink:


    Where???? Did it go????
     
  10.  
    shit man that's spooky
     
  11.  
    I like to when the chance arises.. but the woods at work is usually festering with mosquitoes. Only took one time to learn the lesson, mosquitoes will rape you with your pants down.. but if I had a pair of self squatting leg attachments, I could see more nature shits happening when it's not mosquito season.
     
  12. Looks really uncomfortable


    Sent from my iPod touch using Grasscity Forum
     
  13. I wan to see vids of this on the discovery channell
     
  14. Piece of shit doesn't even recline.
     
  15. This is the most popular thread in gc science right now..


    Sent from my LG-E739 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
  16. #16 ProGMO, Aug 25, 2014
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2014
    they do that now, without these things. I would eliminate the need for chairs in boats, probably at a savings in weight. Airline seats anyone? We could squeeze in 12 rows across on short flights.
     
  17. That's what we need, MORE SITTING! :laughing:
     
  18. Does it come in blue?


    Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
     
  19. #19 waktoo, Aug 26, 2014
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2014
    Great, MORE technology that allows human kind to be even MORE lazy...
     
    Gimme' a break...  :rolleyes:
     
  20. Doesn't look very comfortable. I may have miased something but what stops you from falling backwards?

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     

Share This Page