This morning, I found two “chairs of the future” that I couldn’t resist covering.

The first is a concept called the “Organic Workstation”. Designer Stevie Miles Brewu set out to create the ultimate ergonomic and interactive station for work and play with a framework that resembles a dentist’s chair. The Organic Workstation is fully adjustable, and allows users to select an angle for their seating, keyboard, and foot rest.

The second is the Sonic Care Touch, with a spherical cushion design that acts as a speaker. That’s right, if you want to watch a movie on the included touchscreen iMac, you will feel the sound rise up from beneath you. Talk about surround sound!

So if you had to pick one to be your chair, which would it be? I suppose that my practical, work-oriented mindset would pick the Organic Workstation, as I could probably get a lot of work done. Still, there is something about the design of the Organic Workstation that reminds me of dystopian science-fiction visions, like the workstations in the movie Gattaca. This is a future in which the workers must produce…or else.

Conversely, the Sonic Chair Touch reminds of WALL-E. In that film, none of the citizens were ever expected to perform, but sat on their butt all day. Yes, the comfort and entertainment lover in me loves the Sonic Chair Touch, but does not want to be lulled into submission by the power of technology.

So the future of chairs will either bring increased productivity or increased relaxation. One thing is for sure: both these designs have the Apple logo on them. Perhaps these chairs will prepare us for a future when Apple runs the world, assuming they don’t already.

Source 1 and Source 2