Add-ons - Laptop Bag

The Laptop bag is another of my previous concepts that I have decided to look into further. For this I purchased a basic Laptop carrying bag from a supermarket and decided to attach some plastic inserts into the lid of the bag. By using the properties of the bag, in this example the lid, and folding it over the chair as if you were a child at school.

I cut out to shapes of plastic that would fit in the lid and heated them using a heat gun. I created two different shapes in order to see how these shapes would feel while seated.



This prototype did work however I felt there were some drawbacks. The plastic inserts were too hard, giving no comfort for the user. As the inserts were solid, when using the bag on different types of chairs, it worked on some and not on others because if the chairs back was curved or straight the inserts did not fit in every case. However in most cases it did provide extra support to the back, one thing missing however is customisation, not everyone is the same and with a sensitive are such as the back something that the user can personalise to their own specifications would be of great value.

Add-ons - Laptop Sleeve

Earlier I looked at laptop bags and sleeves, I feel with the nature of the project and rather than making a whole new chair I am going to return to the add-ons to the chairs. Looking back at earlier concept and ideas the two that I will be taking forward are the Laptop bag and sleeve.

Looking at the issue of back pain and the solutions that are on the market at the moment being very clinical and obvious I want to make something that discreetly solves the problem, an object that has a function out with its main function.

With the laptop sleeve its dimensional properties suit the base of a chair with the most common size being 15.4 inches, so by adding the limpet innovation I previously researched this would make for a good seat base providing comfort and posture support.

High Wing Back Chair

The high wing back chair has a small base and a very large back, having this small seat base limits how much the user can actually slouch forward. There room for a small amount but if the user was to slouch a great deal forward they would fall off of the base of the seat. Also having a high back allows the users whole back to be supported, distributing the pressure over the whole back. I like the design and the two fundamental areas that I have been looking at are covered in this seat.

Wire Back

I also wanted to look at other forms that could be used in the back support. This wire frame is surprisingly supportive and comfortable. It provides support from the lumbar upwards leaving a gap from the base to the start of the support. Although there is no support bellow the lumbar area I feel there is sufficient support through the lumbar area and up the back. Using the wire it allows quick bends and makes it easy to shape the support and it was a good way to try another form and shape of support.





After doing both of these tests a happy medium between both supports is needed, something that provides support from lumbar upwards and also has a slight curve over the back.

Chair back

The backs of foldable chairs at moment have one support bracket along the back which doesn’t provide a great deal of support for the back. The crucial area where there is no support is the lumbar region of the back so I have mocked up a very simple added sheet of plastic which provides greater support for the back. It is aimed at allowing the back to come into contact with the chair over a greater surface area distributing pressure over the back rather than one point as with the seats at the moment. I will be using this back rest again to gauge the angle that works best. A back rest that is perpendicular with the base would not work for this chair, so by possibly using some sort of adjustable strap to adjust the angle of the back support I will be able to find the correct position.

Moulded Base

The Foldable chair is basically made up from three main parts, the back, base and frame. There is nothing wrong with he frame of the chair as it serves its function of folding flat quick and easily. The base is very basic, consisting of a small piece of plastic with some fixings on the bottom to attach it to the frame. I made my own base by simply heating plastic with a heat gun to change form of the plastic. I wanted to use am s shaped curve through the profile of the base dipping at the back and slightly raising at the front, similar to the foam cut out model I have done previously as I feel this shape works well. I found however that for the plastic to curve without wrinkling it would have to be heated to a greater uniform temperature.

RTV Limpets

Moving on from the 3D images I have made in my previous post, I created a mould out of high density foam which I then cast RTV Silicone into. I used this type of silicone as it has an amount of give that will work well when seated upon. I created a couple of different sizes of moulds in order to create different layouts on top of the base of a chair. I decided to name the moulds limpets as they have a certain aesthetic quality that resembles limpets you find on the beach.

My first attempt of the limpets was to create two shapes that would create a base for the bottom and from that come to a point between the legs at the front of the base. (I wanted it to be comfortable while the user is seated in the correct position but provide so sort of discomfort for the user while the user is slouched making them sit back up without realising it is the chair that is causing them to do so) the outcome of attempt 1 was that the limpets were felt in all positions, I felt that there were possibly to many limpets being used.



I used fewer limpets still with the notion of creating two areas for the bum cheeks, but using fewer limpets up the base. I have highlighted the limpets that had most significance. These two limpets made contact with the tale bone while slouched and thus caused the user to sit back up straight. For the limpets around the bottom they did not make any difference.

In this attempt I reduced the number of limpets again keeping then to the centre of the base, while seated in an upright position they did not affect the user but as the user slouched forward they made contact with the tale bone which stopped the user slouching. I felt this attempt worked well, the only improvement which I feel could have been made was the height of the limpets could have been increased. After increasing the height I feel that it provided a greater deterrent to stop slouching.



This time a focused on targeting the users tale bone. As the tale bone is solid compared to any muscle and tissue it would provide a greater pressure point. The outcome was that they were felt while seated normally so to compensate for this I decided to reduce the height of the limpets.



After reducing the height of the limpets it made a slight improvement but still was affecting the user while seated normally, so by moving the limpets forward they did not affect the user while seated normally, and did have an effect on the user when they tried to slouch.

I then tried adding more limpets under the legs, this did not really have any effect in any position.



In my last attempt I used a different style of limpet which was more of a wedge shape. It works similarly to one of my previous attempts. Possibly by increasing the size of the wedges it may create more of a deterrent to the user.

The limpets provided a good research tool which allowed me to get an understanding of what positions the user slouch and by adding a simple shape to a certain position on the chair it can have a great affect on how they use the seat.

Buttons and Strips

Looking more into the base of the chair, I have mocked up a quick 3d image of some button and strip ideas to help in the prevention of slouching. If you think about the gold button like shapes that are at crossroads, the buttons for the base are a similar concept. I will use a silicone based rubber to create these buttons and attach them to separate chairs, as well as the buttons I will create some strips to try and encourage people to sit straight while being descrete .

Vray Renders

Here are a couple of renders of my first concept that I rendered using Vray.

Wedge Mark2

I decided to change the shape of the wedge, trying to make a similar base to the one in my concept model in the previous post. I feel the shape of the wedge works very well to hold the user in the same position. Is takes the curves from the user’s buttocks and legs and is the negative to that. The insert at the front works considerably better than my first as at allows the legs to be closer together while seated. The properties of the foam I am using works well and is something that I will be thinking about, it has a rough texture which grips to the users trousers and also helps from slouching forward.

Folding Chair Concept

Here is an initial concept I have mocked up on rhino. There are a few features that I will go over in the base and the back of the chair.

1. The seat base – the base has a wave through the design, this it to keep the used right back and upright, trying to follow the lines of the legs. It’s lower at the back so the buttocks is positioned there and the rise at the front will stop the user from sliding forward. This would be made from a sorter material allowing legs to be together without a hard shape pressing on the user’s legs.

2. The back – the back of the seat has support for the whole back allowing the user to sit right back and still have full support. It also has lumbar support which is something the folding chair that is out at the moment is lacking. As the back support it larger it will also have some give from the lumbar up, allowing the user some movement.

Looking at the spine

Moving on from the 3D scans I had taken if we remove all the skin and muscle so we just have the skeleton left, it is very easy to see the profile of the back when it is straight and this is the profile I want to mimic in a chair. The current folding chairs that are on the market have one piece of back support that for many doesn’t provide a great deal of support for the back. There is no lumbar support and no upper back support so people tend to lean to far back and their lumbar is forced down. Flexibility of the back is also an issue, all chairs should have a slight give in the support.

In each of the images bellow you can see the profile of the spine and if you look at the red line in the first picture I have shown the profile that I am talking about.

3D Body Scan

I was lucky enough to have an hour of so with a 3D body scanner to my disposal last week. The scanner was a very useful tool which provided me with a serous of models of my body in different positions. I was mainly looking to get three positions scanned to show one the correct seated position and also the hunched and slouched seated position. I will be able to use these models in Rhino and hopefully use them to build up a support that will take the shape or the correct seated positions profile. Below is a serious if images that I required from the scanner, some are clearer that others, this is because the scanner finds it difficult when picking up concealed parts of the body. In the seated scans I used a stool to sit on as using a seat would hide the back and therefore the scan would be useless.

Wedges

So most chairs that are used for sitting at desks or at conferences etc have a flat base, so I was thinking of changing the angle of the base all in attempt to make slouching difficult. As an experiment I will use these wedges for a day each and keep a record of how I am feeling, whether they make it easier to sit up straight or cause more pain to the lower back.

The wedge bellow makes the user work to keep them up straight. It gives the user a greater angle between the torso and the legs, this position encourages good posture in the short term, but I feel it might be too much to ask of the everyday user. Through my research it was apparent that having core strength is a valuable thing to have as it helps hold all of the muscles and lumbar spine in place, but without a reasonable amount of core strength I wonder whether this position would cause more discomfort.





The second wedge is the same shape but spun around 180 degrees. By using the angle in this direction and bringing the users legs up to their chest slightly, it works by forcing the user back into the base of the seat. This idea again is trying to stop the users from slouching forward and this does make it harder to do. By doing this the back of the chair must have a very supportive back rest.

Leg Insert

Slouching is one of the areas that I am aiming to reduce with the folding chair. This insert is put in place to stop the user from sliding forward into the slouch position. It works well for a male, however I’m not sure about a female. By changing the shape of the insert I will hopefully be able to make it work for both males and females.

The History of the Folding Chair

I came across a very in-depth article about the history of the folding chair on the design boom website. It shows just about every folding chair in the history of the folding chair! The two design that we most see these days are the X shape and the Triangle shape. Throughout most of the chairs however they do not provide a great deal of back support. The designs range from very simple chairs to extremely elaborate designs that were made for high ranked individuals.

You can find the article at http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/foldingchair.html

Folding Chairs

The folding chair is something that has been about since 2000-1500 b.c. with the Egyptians first designing a folding stool for the commanding officer in their army, today however does not have that exclusive status that is did back in 1500 b.c. The chair has become boring and extremely unsupportive, and because of this I would like to redesign the chair, making is much more comfortable while providing a great deal more support to the back. Two areas in which I would like to reduce are slouching and hunching, as is the same in each of my concepts. I feel there is a lot a could change with the folding chair and in turn make it a great deal better for the user to use.

The main areas of the chair are the back and the base, both of which could be modified to create an all round better chair. With the back I would like to create a larger area for the back to rest upon and also incorporate a lumbar support, as the lumbar area of the back is the area that is most affected by slouching.

I will also look at the base of the chair, experimenting with angles and shapes, that will hopefully improve on the chairs comfort again decrease hunching and slouching.

Back Pack

Similar to the idea behind the laptop bag, using the same thought process and understanding I had the concept of a backpack. The backpack would work in a similar way to the laptop bag as it would attach to the back of a chair and use the same back support stricture to give the user more support while seated. The backpack would also work while on the users back as posture support. The same supporting structure would provide support in the same way is it does while seated.



The north face rucksack above is a good example of a well designed bag. It has been designed to distribute the weight of its contents away from the shoulders and through the whole back. There are many other rucksacks by other manufacturers that provide different types this same idea. I would like to use some of this in my concept with also introducing the back support.

Laptop Bags

Lap top bags are an item that almost every student has on them, whether they’re carrying a laptop or books. Using this item the idea was to give it a second use. As the student takes a seat they put their bag over the back of their chair they would use the lid of the bag as the support. I thought of this idea as when I was in primary that is when me and the other children use to keep our bags.

The lid of laptop back would have some kind of rigid support built into the lid so that when the lid is folded over that back of the chair it becomes part of the chair. This added support would mainly target supporting the lumbar region of the back, as most cheep portable seating does not have much if any lumbar support. By giving the user this added support it would hopefully encourage them to sit up straight and allow them to be more comfortable.

Frictional materials are also something that I would like to look at. With potentially using a material that has frictional properties as the outer surface of the lid, with would try and prevent the user from sliding down that chair, into the slouching positon.

Under Armour

Under Armour® uses "Strategic Compression" as the engineering platform for all the RECHARGE™ compression products. That means tweaking fabric composition, garment construction and the degree and placement of compression strategically on the body to maximise the full effect of compression for recovery.

A superbly well styled and striking Theraputic Compression Top from the RECHARGE™ range constructed using HeatGear® fabrication for rapid moisture wicking and heat eradication with a fabric mix of Polyester (81%) & Elastine (19%), the RECHARGE™ brand is a marvel of technical fabric engineering and fully embraces the known benefits of Athletic Post Exertion Muscle Compression, to the full. A Flatlock Seam construction ensures there is no seam abrasion dispite wearing the garment for extended periods.

If it's compression for gameday, it's built one way. If it's a women's training piece versus a men's training piece, they're built differently, strategically. A single type of compression doesn't answer every athlete's needs. With RECHARGE™, the end purpose is fixing any stress or damage, helping an athlete get back to full strength faster after experiencing muscle distress.

This concept first came from looking at back support that is used when lifting, used by weight lifters to home removals. The braces they wear are specifically aimed towards the lower lumbar region of the back and primarily work by compressing that area, adding more support by doing this. This helps the muscles hold the lumbar region of the back in place.

The under armour would provide a start to making the back support more discrete by making it a base layer that would be worn under normal clothing. By using materials that have better compression and using them around the lumbar region. This would work similar the support that weight lifters use.

Concept Stage

The main research stage of our project coming to an end and now it is the beginning of the concept stage. I will be aiming at people in education as my target market, people who are using seating that is cheap and unsupportive. The seating that is usually been bought from places like Ikea. I have concentrated on a few areas, I will be looking at add-ons to chairs, looking at what students have on them and how these objects can be adapted to help their posture while seated and even walking. Using the Language of slouch as my reasoning behind these ideas and eliminating the Gobba hunch and Divanio slouch.

Another area I will develop concepts in is clothing, looking at base layers, clothing like Under armour and the fabrics they use to help hold the body together. Smart fabrics are another area I will look into with the base layers. Looking at fabrics that have a high tension.

The folding chair is another item I will look at, it is a chair that is used in many locations for quick seating. They are used at concerts to conferences and while people are seated in these chairs they are there for a prolonged period of time.

Those are the three areas that I will develop concepts in, where in each a will be looking to eliminate hunching and slouching and also providing better comfort and posture.