Image source: Herman Miller — Embody Chairs
© Herman Miller and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
Embody Chairs
Bill Stumpf and Jeff Weber's 2008 work chair with pixelated support and Backfit adjustment.
749 × 1143 mm
2008
Official product information
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Description
Overview
The Embody Chairs are Herman Miller work chairs designed by Bill Stumpf and Jeff Weber and introduced in 2008. Herman Miller presents the chair as a benchmark for pressure distribution, natural alignment and support for healthy movement, developed with input from more than 30 physicians and PhDs in biomechanics, vision, physical therapy and ergonomics.
Image source: Herman Miller — Embody Chairs · © Herman Miller and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy
Construction
The seat and back surfaces are a matrix of pixels that conform to the sitter's micro-movements. Herman Miller describes a back with a central spine and flexible ribs, a Backfit adjustment, PostureFit sacral support, a narrow upper back and a seat built from four support layers. The chair has a 5-star base, a tilt with a limiter and fully adjustable arms.
Specifications
- Work chair, high-height range (CN132): W 29.5 in (749 mm), H 45 in max. (1143 mm); depth not labelled on the drawing
- Height ranges, overall maximum: low 42 in, standard 43.5 in, high 45 in
- Seat height: 15-19 in low range, 16-20.5 in standard range, 17-22 in high range
- Seat depth: 15-18 in in 6 locking positions
- Frame finishes: graphite, white; base finishes: polished aluminium, titanium, graphite
- Maximum user weight: 300 lbs / 136 kg
Story
A health-positive chair
Herman Miller says the idea behind Embody was a chair that does more than reduce the negative effects of sitting: one that has positive effects on the body. Bill Stumpf, who had designed the Aeron, Equa and Ergon chairs, brought the idea to the company, and he and Jeff Weber tested three hypotheses with experts about dynamic surface pressure, health-positive work chairs and postural equilibrium.
Weber carries on
Stumpf died in 2006, and Herman Miller credits Weber as Embody's designer who gave the chair its function and form, building on Stumpf's inspiration. Prototypes were evaluated by experts sitting in them, and laboratory experiments covered kinematics, preferred postures, pressure distribution, seated tasks and metabolics.
Image source: Herman Miller — Embody Chairs · © Herman Miller and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy
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