Orthopedic chairs - Interesting ergonomic chairs

The basis of any ergonomic chair is one of being able to maximise the harmony between the human body and the seated task (or tasks) that it is performing.

This means that any good ergonomic chair will be able to create a seating position that gives the best possible posture to the person sat on it whilst placing them (i.e. their body and arms) in the most appropriate position for performing any tasks. In many cases orthopedics and the way that the skeletal system operates are considered in the design of these chairs, this is why many of these chairs are often referred to as orthopedic chairs.

Over the years many designs have sought to address the challenge of matching a task with a seated position and the result has been a number of different chair designs. Some of these chairs have taken an approach based around adjustable features whilst others have had fixed geometries that aim to position the seated person in a very specific posture. It is for this reason that there is such a varied and diverse range of ergonomic task chairs available.

Some ergonomic chair designs

Here are a few examples of some of the diverse range chairs that currently fall into the ergonomic or task chair category.

Kneel sit chair

One of the most novel ergonomic chairs is the kneeling chair which seeks to keep the back upright, erect and self supporting.

There is however another variation on this design that combines a normal task chair (i.e. one where you are seated) with a kneel chair. The result is a chair that has a seat with a strong forward incline supplemented by a knee support, it is called a “kneel sit” chair.

This type of chair produces a support that sees part of the body’s weight being transferred to the seat and part of the weight being transferred to the knee support. The idea is that the seated person gets the best of both worlds, i.e. the comfort of a standard seat and backrest, plus the posture benefits of a kneel chair.

Self adjusting chair

The idea behind a new type of ergonomic chair, called a self adjusting chair, is that it is the chair that adjusts itself to the curves and profiles of the person seated upon it.

These chairs have yet to reach the retailers, but their designs are based around using a series of separate and independent seat and backrest panels that can automatically adjust themselves to any movements or changes in posture by the seated person. The result should be a chair that continually adapts its support to the uniqueness of the person seated upon it and their changing positions.

At the moment these chairs fall into the categories of prototype designs or very expensive automatic chairs, but this approach to chair design and support may be the future of tomorrow’s task chairs.

Multi media workstation chair

The idea of a multimedia workstation “and” chair is a very simple one. The concept is that many office based workers now use computers and monitors exclusively. Since this is the case it therefore makes sense to produce a single unit that combines the chair and workstation as a single set-up.

The result is a chair that is designed and built by incorporating a frame that also includes a screen, keyboard shelf, and base for a processor.

Because all of these components are designed and built with total interaction in mind, they should be able to harmonise together to provide the best possible body support and user access to the operator. This type of complete chair, task and equipment approach may well lead the way to future office furniture design.