According to Hammacher Schlemmer, the seat has "undetectable" carbon fiber heating elements that can reach temperatures between 120 and 140 degrees for up to 2.5 hours on the highest setting. The battery can be charged in about the same amount of time via an AC outlet or the included automobile adapter. It also has some nice extras like a tray with a cupholder, pockets for stashing snacks and a sturdy fabric that won't sag when you sit. Although, that last bit would be put to the test if you were pushing its 270 pound weight limit. Available for $120. [Hammacher via Crunchgear]

The Ballerina Sweetspot is designed to be the ultimate music lover's chair. It features a thin headrest to accommodate headphones and prevent the reflection of sound, memory foam to cushion the body, hollow armrests to neatly hold controls and an aluminum frame that supposedly reduces sonic vibration.

I highly doubt that a chair like this will enhance the listening experience enough to justify the $8000 price tag, but, again, people have a thing about chairs. And audiophiles, like CEOs, are probably willing to pay for the best of the best. [Klutz Design via AV Guide via Audio Junkies via Unplggd]

During Dennis LeRoy Anderson's trial the chair was considered a vehicle for legal purposes and because of that it ended up as city property. Since there didn't seem to be a use for it, it went onto the auction block:

Known as the world famous DWI Motorized La-Z-Boy style Chair, year built unknown. This is a unique vehicle located in Proctor Minnesota. The vehicle has been obtained from a DWI forfeiture and has not been restored. Engine: Briggs and Stratton Model # 19070 Type: 5641 with electric start. Transmission type unknown and is sloppy. The vehicle has front lights, rear tag light, radio, cup holder, rear roll bars and other custom options, missing the seat cushion. Curb weight of vehicle is unknown, length is 52" and width is 45". This is a great parade vehicle or a terrific business draw. Be the only one in town with a unique vehicle like this. This is not a street legal vehicle.

That's a lot of customization, but for the current going price of $1,525 someone oughta at least replace the missing cushion or tune up the transmission. Or at just toss in a few extra stickers, if nothing. [Ebay via Wired]

No, Yu-Ying Wu's "breathing chair" is not really a giant chunk of tasteless protein, but it will automatically form to your body as you sit, turning from tofu to armchair with the weight of your body. But beyond intriguing design, the chair is built from a springy plastic compound with enough resistance that it will actually help lift you out of the chair when standing, relieving some pressure from your knees.

Wu's chair is still just in the design stage, which is a shame, because my butt is hungry. [CCTV via Core77 via DVICE]

The OLED lamp even senses when it's light or dark out, and if it's light, stores the energy produced by rocking in a battery pack until nightfall. The chair, designed by Rochus Jacob, rightfully shared first prize at the DesignBoom Green Life Competition, which you can read more about here. [Unpluggd]

Physical therapists and mechanical engineers joined forces to create robots that allow babies with disabilities to move around. The robots controlled by a joystick that's simple enough for a one year old to use.

The chair is unlike a regular adult motorized chair, since it has sensors and a remote control feature that's usable by parents to help kids ride around. All in all, pretty awesome. [Vodpod via ABClocal]

First, we have to establish the definition of a task chair. They are, according to this site, meant for medium duty use; they're the chairs you see gathered permanently around a meeting table, or in front of a desk for guests—as opposed to behind a desk, where the boss sits, in a true "desk chair." Comfortable, but not exactly meant to be used all day, they tend to have list prices ranging from $500 to $700. Still they're often used by secretaries or other type of office workers (everyone who isn't a boss who can't convince someone to give them a nicer chair) whose jobs require them to get up once in a while. They usually have backs that rise up not quite as high as desk chairs, like the $1000-and-up Herman Miller Aeron and Embody, or Steelcase Leap.

Herman Miller Setu

The $650 Setu might be about half the price of the current top seat, but it is definitely not, as we initially reported, a "poor man's Embody." It's quite different.

The Setu is Lennie to the Embody's George: simple, straightforward and lacking in sophistication. That is to say, there's no real customization you can do with knobs and levers, because there are none, save for the obligatory height adjustment. Its "elastomeric" fabric does contour somewhat to the curve of your back, but it's nowhere as customizable as actually being able to change the angles of the chair's spine.

It's as if Herman Miller tried to build a chair with as few parts as possible, making sure each beam, back and support did the job of one-and-a-half beams, backs and supports. However, their frugality regarding use of material has one downside: the seat is too shallow. Imagine sitting with your ass all the way into the back of the seat; even then, the seat would only come forward to about 3/4 of your thigh. It's not horrible if you're short or if you'd rather sit on the edge of your seat, but those of you who expect support all the way up to the back of your knees will be disappointed.

Otherwise, the Setu is quite a good task chair. It provides ample back support for a full eight-hour day, and the aerated fabric breathes enough that you can even work shirtless on a hot day and things will be alright. (For you, not your co-workers.) The arms protrude enough to be usable, but not too much to be obtrusive. There's plenty of give in the seat and the back to feel like you're sitting with the chair, rather than fighting against it.

Conforms to your back nicely

Great look, great design

More expensive than Cobi

The seat is a bit shallow; doesn't go all the way to the back of the knee

Steelcase Cobi

Surprisingly, the Cobi is more like the Embody in design and build than the Setu, despite it being from a competing firm. What's cool about the Cobi is that you can actually customize parts of it yourself, picking the color, whether you want arms and whether you want it in stool form or chair form. Each piece adds a little to its $400 base, and our white-framed, fixed-armed, wasabi green seat totaled to $490. If you were going stool mode—high and sturdy, as in bar stool, not backless and stubby, as in foot stool—you'd actually end up at $720, which is $70 more than the Setu.

The look of the Cobi is definitely more traditional than the Setu, with its round seat, protruding arms and tongue-like lip of a back—and it sits the same way too. There are, like the Setu, no adjustments for the back or the seat or the arms, but it conforms more or less to your back as you're sitting. The cradling is less pronounced than the Herman Miller, but enough that you'll still be comfortable as you're working. And the seat is perfectly fine here, not a few inches shy of optimal length like the Setu.

Priced lower than Setu

You can customize your own colors, frame, arms

Doesn't conform to your back as well as the Setu

Comparison

Your decision here is one of tradeoffs. If you want to go a little cheaper, the Steelcase Cobi is great, but it won't spoon your back quite as well as the Herman Miller Setu. If you want stylishness, Setu's definitely going to impress, but you're going to have to live with that shallower seat and a slightly higher price tag.

The Cobi is customizable at purchase, but all the design choices lead to a more traditional-looking chair, something you may or may not prefer. The more sci-fi-looking Setu may win in the design department but you will definitely not be upset if you pick the Cobi, especially if you want to create one in your favorite color.

This Battlemodo shows both the benefits and limitations of the task-chair category. If you're looking for going further in customizability and comfort, it would be worth it to go with the Embody. It's down to $1099 now, and cradles your ass better than either the Setu or the Cobi ever will. [Steelcase Cobi and Herman Miller Setu]

These portable stools can be completely disassembled, packed anywhere for easy transportation, and then reassembled so your super-ass can take a rest. [Evil Mad Scientist]

It looks like you can just rotate the non-seat part of the chair (carbon-fiber armrests and legs) while keeping the seat steady to transform it from a rocking chair to a standard armchair, which is such a simple idea we can't believe we haven't seen it before. The seat itself is made of stretchy elastic like in some office chairs and we can assume the whole chair is very light—but not inexpensive. We're not sure if the chair actually exists to be bought anywhere, but an idea this simple probably won't stay conceptual for long. [Yanko Design via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Here's what you do. Go to the site, then go through the "3 minute" process of choosing the frame color, whether or not you want a stool bit for your feet, whether you want arms, the upholstry color (lots of colors available) and you're done. Depending on what you chose you could be looking at a reasonable $400 chair or a slightly pricier $720.

Steelcase, like Herman Miller, makes fantastic office chairs that prop you up in such a way that you can actually sit for eight hours and not feel pain. Hit the gallery for more shots. [Smart Furniture]

The concept is simple—motion sensors detect the presence of a victim and prompt the embedded photocopier to scan. The image then shoots out the side—ready to be archived in your collection (plus, it leaves your butt feeling comfortably warm). Unfortunately, pranksters will have to continue on with office copiers for now—the iBum is unlikely to emerge from the prototype stage. [Tomomi Sayuda via FormFiftyFive via about:blank]

[Today's Big Thing]

The reason for the price difference is that—even while it's comfy and has great design—it is not designed to work for long periods of time. It's much better and comfortable than a normal multi-purpose chair, however, even while it is supposed to be a multi-purpose chair. And what is a multi-purpose chair, are you asking? It's a chair that can go anywhere—from a work desk to a conference room—made for people who don't sit for 12 hours in a row. Like me and my cubic butt. Yes, twelve hours in a row. Some of them even naked. Let that thought sink now—it'll make sense through the day.

The Herman Miller Setu will be officially announced on June 15. [Otto via Fast Company]

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The president of Canon Electronics, Hisashi Sakamaki, is also the author of a book proposing some of the same measures he takes with his own company. His theory is that forcing employees to stand not only saves money but increases productivity and enhances employee relationships.

In the hallway, if an employee walks slower than 5 meters every 3.6 seconds, an alarm and flashing lights are set off, reminding the poor startled worker that he's an inefficient waste of air. Even better (or worse), there's a sign on the floor in said hallways that reads, "Let's rush: If we don't, the company and world will perish." The big boss, as a reward for thinking up all this stuff, gets to lounge in a nice, relaxing chair. [Danny Choo, thanks Stupod!]