Health

'Wearable chair' that straps to ones backside is dividing social media users after going viral


Bionic wearable chair that straps to users’ backside and allows them to sit almost anywhere raises $143,000 in crowdfunding but divides the internet

  • Two foldable aluminium legs are clipped to a pad that attaches to your backside 
  • Device costs $250 and is designed to improve posture and comfort
  • Called Lex, the firm has raised more than $143,000 in funds via Kickstarter

A ‘wearable chair’ is taking a low-tech approach to the drudgery of standing, and irking the internet at the same time. 

Lex, as the device is called, is being described by its inventors, Astride Bionix, as a type of exoskeleton, designed to improve posture and comfort.

The device – a $250 pair of folding aluminium legs attached to a pad that clips around a wearer’s backside – turns nearly any piece of solid ground into a chair using two collapsible legs that jut from its harness.

The device - a $250 pair of folding aluminium legs attached to a pad that clips around a wearer's backside - turns nearly any piece of solid ground into a chair using two collapsible legs that jut from its harness

The device – a $250 pair of folding aluminium legs attached to a pad that clips around a wearer’s backside – turns nearly any piece of solid ground into a chair using two collapsible legs that jut from its harness

WHAT IS ASTRIDE BIONIX’S’ WEARABLE CHAIR’? 

Lex – a $250 pair of folding aluminium legs attached to a pad that clips around a wearer’s backside – turns nearly any piece of solid ground into a chair using two collapsible legs that jut from its harness. 

Astride Bionix says Lex can function as a means to help mitigate the physical stress of carting around large backpacks or other bags that often put distress on one’s spine and back. 

Examples from the company’s product video show wearers resting their legs in all sorts of scenarios – some waiting for public transportation, taking in a nice view from a bridge, and even working at a communal table in an office setting.

While Lex may sound like more of a gag than a real product, it has already vastly exceeded an initial $50,000 goal for its Kickstarter campaign, raising an eye-watering $143,000. 

‘Almost all of us have suffered from bad posture, felt fatigue on long commutes and weighed down by heavy backpacks. These physical issues are vexing, ever-present and can not be solved by smartphone applications or digital gadgets,’ writes the company on its Kickstarter.

‘The LEX is a bionic wearable that enhances posture, comfort, and life. It is designed to let you relax anywhere with a perfect sitting posture and protect your shoulders while on the move by making the backpack feel almost weightless.’

Outside of the obvious uses like sitting, Astride Bionix says Lex can function as a means to help mitigate the physical stress of carting around large backpacks or other bags that often put distress on one’s spine and back. 

Lex comes with what the company is calling a ‘load distribution module’ which is essentially a small platform that one can rest their bag on.

As noted by The Guardian, fixing backpain is one of the most obvious applications of Lex given the medical resources allotted to treating people’s chronic pain every year. 

Lex managed to rile up Twitter users after a tweet from Tech Insider sent the device viral. 

Users quickly started to dissect Lex and just how useful the product would be in a more practical environment.

‘I like how dude can sit to wait for the bus but once he gets on the bus he’ll have to stand. Brilliant stuff here,’ wrote on users.

Another commented that a realistic demonstration of the device would include the users ‘[moving] regular chairs everywhere he goes’ and never [going] to the bathroom.’

Potential benefits to one’s posture weren’t enough to convince many users that Lex was a worthy way to spend their hard-earned money.

Outside of the downsides pointed out by Twitter responding to Tech Insider’s tweet — chief among them, the fact that the device could pretty in-the-way when trying to sit down in places where there are already chairs — Lex presents another more aesthetic issue: it looks pretty silly.

Users were quick to note that Lex would likely elicit giggles from others in public. 

‘Do you like getting pointed and laughed at everywhere you go? Then this product is great!” quipped one Twitter user.  



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