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Bionic Pants

Want to Sit on Thin Air? The invisible chair is here…
Anyone who has worked a job that requires long hours of standing at one place and others who have worked remaining upright for an extended amount of time would have taken a heavy toll on their legs and back. Here comes the chairless chair, a welcome solution which makes many to be awestruck.  Some call it an invisible chair, while others call it Bionic Pants or trousers — a matter of semantics, perhaps.

The idea came to Keith Gunura, inventor of bionic pants while working in a UK packaging factory standing for hours together caused lot of distress on his lower limbs.  As in any factory setup, most of the workers got only few breaks, as well as rarely provided with chairs because the chairs took up too much factory space. Keith was inspired by his experience and thought that the best idea was to strap an unobtrusive chair directly to himself where he can sit anywhere and everywhere. Thus bionic pants came into existence and here to stay. These smart pants would be able to monitor the wearer’s intentions and give automatic power assistance when needed. For example when getting up from a chair or when climbing stairs. 

The word "Bionic” will invoke images of science fiction fantasies. But in fact bionic systems – the joining of engineering and robotics with biology (the human body) are becoming a reality.

At present, most bionic assist devices are made from rigid materials such as metals and plastics, and are driven by conventional motors as well as gearboxes. These technologies are well established but their hardness and rigidity can be a great disadvantage. 

In nature, soft materials such as muscles and skin predominate, and as humans we find comfort in soft materials, such as holding hands or sitting on a sofa. 

Soft robotics for bionic pants and trousers 
New "soft robotic” technologies are emerging which have the potential to overcome the limitations of conventional rigid bionics. As their name suggests, these system employ soft and compliant materials that work more naturally with the human body.

Instead of rigid metals and plastics, they use elastic materials, rubbers and gels. Instead of motors and gearboxes, they’re driven by smart materials that bend, twist and pull when stimulated.

These smart materials can mimic the contractions of biological muscles, and are often termed "artificial muscles”. With these advancements researchers are now in a position to create radically new adaptive bionic devices for assistance and rehabilitation, including the smart bionic pants and trousers. 

Getting older and less steady on your feet? You may need a bionic exoskeleton.
Having difficulty climbing those stairs? You may try a pair of bionic power pants.  

Of course, this is more than just a technology exercise. The soft robotic clothing will need to be comfortable, easy to put on, hygienic, stylish and to have a much more natural relationship with the wearer. 

The Chairless Chair is intended not for deskbound office staffs, but for environments in which workers must stand in one place for long periods, if not entire 8-hour shifts. 

More portable than any stool or chair, less obtrusive than a walker and more supportive than those folding seat, the bionic pants represent an unexplored intersection of paramedical assistance, ergonomics and, yes, a wearable technology. So, the key to bionic future is adaptability: we need to make bionic devices that adapt to our environments and to us.