News

This New Invention Is Practically Magic

by Nuzha Nuseibeh

Ladies, gentlemen, prepare yourselves for the chairolution. No idea what that is or why it's necessary? Yah, neither did I. But the good people at Noonee did, which is why they've invented the invisible Chairless Chair, a wearable chair that doesn't exist until you desire a sit-down, at which point you suddenly — magically! — have a seat. Sound awesome? It is, dude. It really is.

Originally invented for hard workers on production lines (but, let's face it, equally appealing for those of us too lazy to stand on the subway/train/anywhere at all), the Chairless Chair looks a little like the leg braces that Forest Gump has to wear before he learns to shake them off and run. Weighing just over 4 pounds, the exoskeleton is made of carbon fiber and aluminum, and what you do is strap it around your waist and onto your upper leg. Then, you can walk. You can run. You can saunter. But, most importantly, you can sit. Anywhere. Seriously, anywhere. You're suddenly a human with a built-in seat. Like you always dreamed you were.

"The idea came from wanting to sit anywhere and everywhere, and from working in a U.K. packaging factory when I was 17," Keith Gunura, the (29-year old!) CEO of Noonee, told CNN. "Standing for hours on end causes a lot of distress to lower limbs, but most workers get very few breaks and chairs are rarely provided, because they take up too much space. So I thought that the best idea was to strap an unobtrusive chair directly to myself."

One type of Chairless Chair comes with its own boots, which connect to the exoskeleton. Another allows you to wear whatever shoes you want (thankfully). Through the Chairless Chair mechanism, your body-weight is directed to your heels and held by the exoskeleton's damper. Essentially, it looks into place whenever you need it to, and supports your entire body.

"In addition to resting your leg muscles, it also provides optimal posture," co-founder Bryan Anastisiades said to 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."

The invention could certainly change the lives of many who have to work in harsh environments where they're forced to stand for hours on end. It could also very easily make its way into the mainstream, creating a Wall-E-esque world of constantly sedentary humans — scary, considering that sitting is now "the new smoking."

Still, an invisible, wearable, chair? I'm in.

Images: Noonee /Youtube