We take the design of our gadgets for granted. How they sit in our hands and give no strain during their operation or curve around our ears for comfort. Manufacturers spend millions on the design front, not just for looks, but also for usability. These are for small parts of our body such as the hand or the ear, but what of the whole body as a unit. What of the comfort for our back, neck and head while we are sitting down at our PC or playing games on our consoles. This is where we spend a large part of our days so real care has to be taken to ensure good posture and this will be a large part down to our chairs.
Two Japanese companies have joined forces to bring us one of the most advanced chairs when it comes to support and comfort. Okamura, a furniture company and Oki, an office equipment maker have come up with the Leopard, a robotic office chair. This un-powered chair has had basic principles of human anatomy designed into its build.
When you sit down the chair sinks slightly and the feeling of the chair wrapping around you can be felt. Contact is made all the way up the back and neck. When you want to get up the chair lifts as you move forward making it easier to stand.
It comes at a price though, which starts at $2100 for the cloth covered version.