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This robotic suit lets you sit in mid-air instead of a chair

This robotic suit lets you sit in mid-air instead of a chair

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The Chairless Chair could give assembly line workers a rest

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Factory workers who do rote work through long shifts risk developing back pain or other problems, and a Swiss company called Noonee has developed a solution: the "Chairless Chair," an exoskeleton for your legs that lets you sit at the push of a button.

The aluminum and carbon fiber exoskeleton only weighs about four pounds, so when workers wear the device — still in the prototype phase, although Audi and BMW are trying it out — they can move regularly. But, on command, the chair stiffens, giving the workers a spot to rest wherever they are.

You wouldn't be wrong to wonder why the Chairless Chair is better than a regular chair. According to the company, it saves the floor space that chairs would occupy, and in fact works better than real chairs, since it keeps the back straight. Whether workers would prefer it to your standard furniture, though, is another question.