The winter of 2009 was when we first started toying around with the idea of finding a way for people to get more movement during the enormous amount of time that they spend sitting each day. This was during a period of time when the public was just starting to become conscious of the negative health effects that sitting had on the body.
We made dozens of mock-ups using all sorts of exercise equipment, ranging from balance boards to vibration plates that co-founder John Harada had in his garage. After dozens of prototypes we eventually came up with “the eternal motion chair” – a chair-footrest combo, built using 80/20 metal, various off-the shelf cushions, and several balance boards.
With prototype in tow, we set up a booth at the annual NEOCON office furniture show in Chicago to gauge commercial interest. The feedback was that the chair portion was simply too complicated, but that we should focus our attention on the footrest portion which had piqued the interest of leading industry companies like Steelcase.
This experience was the catalyst that set us on a path to developing Sitflow – the world’s first suspended active footrest.
To be continued next week: