Its creator, David Wickett, has a PhD in bioengineering. He was hoping to create a chair that would make you feel weightless, and the equation he developed during his 10 years of research became the backbone of the chair.
When you recline in the chair, its carbon-fiber skeleton “engages perfectly” with your body. There’s a spot between lying and sitting up when your body “passes through” zero gravity, your weight is evenly distributed, and “this results in sensory attenuation which is the principle of flotation therapy,” according to Wickett’s website. Or to paraphrase, the 25-degree angle at which you kick back in the chair is supposedly the most comfortable and puts the least strain on your back, says the doctor.
While it’s far from the most expensive chair in the world (that honor may belong to the “Dragon Chair,” which sold for $28 million in 2009), what’s notable is that the Elysium is neither an antique nor particularly high-tech. It doesn’t even drive you around, like some chairs we’ve recently heard about. Still, it comes covered in Scandinavian leather in 70 color options, so that’s a start. If it truly makes you feel weightless, it is cheaper than trip to space, Lance Bass.
You can apparently try before you kiss $26,000 goodbye at a Bang & Olufsen showroom in Knightsbridge, England, T3 reports. There are just 20 of the handmade chairs available, according to Uncrate. Guess those who have the money for this luxurious chair can’t afford to just sit around.
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