SPORTY office chairs, some adapted from racing seats, are available these days and for gamers, there are some sophisticated designs with ideal ergonomics for long hours at the desk. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Norway has also come up with another idea for office chairs which uses many of the features from their cars.
It’s doesn’t have a name as yet and is still described as ‘one-of-a-kind’, so it’s probably a prototype. However, ‘test-drives’ will be offered at selected locations in Norway, so there might be a possibility of it being produced if demand is evident.
The chair can actually be driven although that’s not really unique since motorised wheelchairs have been available for a long time. But unlike wheelchairs which have very basic capabilities, this chair can travel at up to 20 km/h (they’ll have to put speed limit signs in offices!) and if the user lives within 12 kms of the office, he or she could even use it to travel home!
For safety, a horn is included to alert others ahead. There’s also a simplified form of the Advanced Driver Assistance (ADAS) systems found in Volkswagen vehicles. It makes use of sensors that cover all round the chair to pick up objects or people and alert the user, and there’s also a reverse camera to prevent accident when backing out of the conference room in a hurry after losing an argument.
The powertrain would draw on Volkswagen’s experience in developing powertrains for its ID. electric cars and at night, along with the smartphone, the battery pack of the chair can be recharged at home.
The chair has LED lights to give the recognizable Volkswagen look. Headlights were put in to brighten it and for the occasional office festivities, the chair is equipped with multi-coloured Office Party Lights. If the meeting gets boring, the user has an infotainment system with stereo audio to pass the time.
The chair has thick, quality fabric upholstery made from recycled fibres and is equipped with adjustable heating for comfort if it is taken out into the streets. And, of course, it must have a 3-point seatbelt in case of a sudden stop.
The busy executive who is lucky to have such a chair would probably have documents to carry. Rather than use a briefcase, the designers have added a storage compartment for these documents. And if there are larger items – like a printer – to transport, there’s also a trailer hitch attached.
As we said earlier, this is a one-off unit and whether it will be a novelty at trade fairs and motorshows remains to be seen. If there is a strong response and many people asking for it, perhaps Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will work with a specialist in office chairs to product it in small numbers.
