Embody

Following the success of the infamous Aeron office chair, Herman Miller has come back with an even more innovative concept, and sleek design. In the run up to the product launch set to be at the Orgatec exhibition in Germany next month, Herman Miller gave CID an exclusive insight into the new Embody chair.

“With the support of Herman Miller and the way they are willing to invest and engage and commit to programs, we began to do a tremendous amount of research. And that research revolved around the seated worker and their technology. We found that there was disconnect, the chairs that Herman Miller produce cannot solve the problem,” said Jeff Weber, designer of Embody.

“So we began to identify opportunities and then the chair solution. At that point we began to develop a hypothesis around how we might support the human body. We did that through talking to various experts in the field. The result of that work is manifested in Embody,” he added.

Form and function are intrinsically important in Embody’s design, but according to Weber, the challenge was how to reconcile the tension that exists between form and function in an elegant way without leaving one or, the other behind.

“In Embody we were always thinking about both. One of the key elements of the design is that you can flex back in the chair while you are in an upright position. This action engages the muscles in the back. We do this involuntarily in ordinary chairs, but what this chair does is allow you to maintain support and gain that extension and flexion which is absolutely critical to good spine health,” said Weber.

“To use a metaphor and an analogy, it is like the human spine - the human spine is incredibly complex and so we’ve attempted to design a chair that mimics the way the human spine functions. The unique design of the back of the chair maintains the spine’s characteristics, attempting to provide a level of postural freedom and motion.

The points on the back of the chair, the pixels, are independent supported points on the back which allow back support and conform and flex. There is really no other member of technology of mechanism which will enable that to occur,” he added.

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