Finding the right gaming chair can be tough. If you’re going to be playing Fortnite for hours on end, you want something particularly comfortable.
As it so happens, furniture retail giant Ikea has an idea on how to help you with that.
Rather than have you ‘Goldilocks’ your way through a bunch of chairs to find which one is just right, Ikea wants to bring the seat right to you.
As part of a partnership with educational esports group Area Academy and 3D-printing medical company Unyq, Ikea is looking to make the most ergonomic seats possible — all by scanning your butt.
The companies have designed a hydraulic stool that can be equipped with a mesh platform made up of a 3D-printed mold of a person’s bottom.
The idea is that customers can visit an Ikea store to get their body scanned and purchase the special stool. Afterward, Ikea will send out the collected biometric data to create the mesh seating pad.
In about two weeks, the customer should receive the 3D printed inserts in the mail. The user can then slide these inserts into the seat, as well as place sitters wherever is most comfortable.
Voila: there’s the perfect seat for you
Verdict: Sticky
Given that this is a prototype, there may be complications or changes that come up along the way. Likewise, there’s been no word on pricing or availability in Canada or other specific markets.
Still, looking past the admittedly weird notion of walking into a store to get a mold made out of your butt, the Ubik is a pretty neat idea. Having a chair that is custom-made to your particular dimensions should, in theory, make for a wonderfully comfortable sitting experience.
You’ll probably want to hold off on eating the meatballs until after you’ve gotten scanned, though.
Note: This post is part of an ongoing series titled Sticky or Not in which staff reporter Bradly Shankar analyzes new and often bizarre gadgets, rating them sticky (good) or not (bad).
Image credit: Twentieth Century Fox
