BMW Designs Futuristic, Open-Source Gaming Chair With AI Capabilities
Image via BMW Designworks
Over the last several years, ergonomic gaming chairs have become mainstream, aided in no small part by the global pandemic, which forced millions to shift from offices to working from home.
With more people investing in their home office setups than ever before, a research report predicts the gaming chair industry could be worth US$89 million by 2025.
Now, BMW’s Designworks has joined the trend, with its futuristic gaming chair known as ‘The Rival Rig’. This brand-new conceptual chair is the first to come from the RIVALWORKS virtual technology factory.
Not only is this gaming chair crafted to provide the most comfortable experience, but it has also been decked out with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, LED lighting, integrated sensors, and electro-mechanical actuators that allow it to adjust in real-time.
According to HiConsumption, if ‘The Rival Rig’ detects excess arm pressure or heat buildup in a certain area of the chair, it uses its adaptive microclimate control capabilities to change settings automatically, so the user remains comfortable.
Design-wise, Designworks president Holger Hampf said the gaming chair “was influenced by the characteristics of spaceships and Formula 1 cars.”
Hampf said, “We applied our learnings from these fields in a new context, all down to a microscopic level. This project really was about millimeters rather than centimeters.”
This gaming chair could possibly revolutionize the industry, with BMW also making it open-source. This allows developers worldwide to build upon the exact design and add features as they wish, or for gaming platforms to further enhance the overall experience.
For more information, check out ‘The Rival Rig’ here.
Image via BMW Designworks
Image via BMW Designworks
Image via BMW Designworks
[via HiConsumption, images via BMW Designworks]
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