Technology marches on: Innovation addresses how consumers live, and their health, wellness – Furniture Today

HIGH POINT Development of new mechanisms and components driving furnitures most technology intensive category continues apace as suppliers to motion seating manufacturers look ahead in anticipation of consumer preferences and behaviors.

Particularly on the component side, suppliers are adapting product development to address habits acquired during the pandemic more time at home both for work and leisure, and health concerns, for example that demonstrate staying power in the years ahead.

Mechs and components, as well, are popping up with greater attention to the needs of the large, aging baby boomer segment.

A look at mechanisms

On the mechanism side, adapting motion to higher styles is a priority, but a more holistic approach is coming to the fore.

Our innovation team has always focused on comfort and styling, but were looking more and more into health benefits, said Richard Weeks, vice president of sales and marketing for retail systems at Leggett & Platt.

He pointed to Leggetts Cloud Zero zero-gravity mechanism as an example of recent wellness-related mechanisms.

On the style side, weve developed more compact mechanisms and more off-the-floor mechanisms versus the traditional metal-to-floor, Weeks said, adding other style-focused developments include mechs that accommodate features found more often in stationary such as T-backs and T-cushions. Were trying to broaden those horizons so we can get more stationary styling options into motion that you couldnt have before.

At CIAR, the latest and greatest include the CardioRelax enhanced zero-gravity mechanism, automatic rocking and swinging with the PSG system, and YogaFlexx, a lumbar backrest system with special electronics for spine mobilization.

Eric Knott, senior vice president of marketing and sales at CIAR, said the company has identified three megatrends for its product development direction: consumer interest in personal health, new work patterns and silver society, which addresses a large market approaching senior years.

Knott envisions hybrid products for home office, allowing laptop (and) tablet work in best ergonomic position, plus back health and relaxation features.

CIARs Digital Comfort Zone @ Home is a combination and integration of multi-positioning furniture with AR and VR options, Knott said. Examples there include furniture for meditation and breathing exercises featuring parallel control with biosensors and wearable units.

While the pandemic seemed to put the world on hold for a time, Leggett & Platts Weeks pointed out that created an opportunity to sit back and examine the companys R&D group and refocus efforts there. For example, in terms of what he called ideation and concepts, Leggett & Platts research team is getting out of the lab and into the field to stay abreast of needs in the marketplace.

Were more robust in trying to understand the needs of not only our customers but also the motion consumers, Weeks said. We need to be more out in the field talking with customers, and weve ramped up that part of our innovation team. Were putting more resources into that research arena versus sitting back in the lab.

What can we expect five years down the road in terms of mechanisms?

I think the whole motion industry would go more mechatronics to provide structural space optimization and cost-effective, functional products with multiple patents, said Okin North American Sales Manager Kevin Du. We hope the motion furniture can move forward faster like smartphones, with more tiny, intelligent, comfortable, easy to use, simple and smart components.

With the growth of power motion in particular head and back support, lumbar, lift function, smart applications Weeks said future development is all about offering new options.

Particularly on the health side, were going to see great technological development in those areas, he noted.

Knott believes stress-relief, back-health and cardio-health functions will become integrated, added-value elements in furniture.

The credibility of product claims and benefits can be proven with wearables and biosensors, he said. Presentations of complex functions and benefits and subsequent sales become much simpler and will happen increasingly outside of furniture stores.

Du said the pandemic has affected Okins long-term strategy in the U.S. market, particularly regarding a broader sourcing approach.

The pandemic has changed the world and the international supply chain, he said. Our next-five-year strategy would be global resourcing, managing new factory bases all around the world I think.

Looking at components

On the components side, a lot of technological development centers around two areas: battery packs and components addressing consumer behaviors and needs emerging from the pandemic.

Tom Peper, partner at Enouvation pointed out that power motion features such as LED lights, lighted cup holders, handheld wand controllers, touch pad controllers, touch sensitive buttons and switches with USB ports draw constant power even when the furniture isnt being used. Thats led Enouvation to constantly work with suppliers and manufacturers the past few years to address the need for what Peper called efficient electronic components.

Having the ability to make power motion furniture cordless is a demand today, and we believe it will be the future of power motion, he said. To overcome the challenge of constant power draw, Enouvation introduced the E10 battery, which features a patent-pending power pack that can be controlled via app to allow the user to turn off the pack with the swipe of a finger.

This feature, while it sounds extremely simple, will now allow a consumer with power motion furniture with constant drawing features the ability to go cordless, Peper said. The biggest disappointment consumers experience is trying to use their furniture (and) in a few days or weeks to find the furniture none functioning. The user can name the pack, set location of the pack, see the current power level, complete charging history, set reminders to recharge the pack when it reaches selected charge levels and enable push notifications to assist users with overall power pack maintenance. The ultimate goal is for the consumer to be able to enjoy their furniture wherever and whenever, not having to design their space around wall outlets.

Battery packs are an area where Raffel Systems also sees continued growth. Raffel has had battery packs for several years but is developing more powerful batteries to accommodate larger motion configurations and to improve battery operation and efficiency.

Well be introducing in an August-September time frame a 5,000 milli-amper hour (mAh) pack for motion pieces with three to six seats, said Mark Stecker, Raffels vice president of sales and marketing. Based on market research and feedback from the industry, our engineering team and software development created custom circuitry that allows what we call balanced charging that allows the battery pack to charge and deplete at the same rate, a feature Stecker said is unique in the industry. For the consumer that means no unnecessary charging, extended battery life and provides for longer operation time.

The 5K mAh also features active charging: When your battery needs charging, you can plug it into the wall but continue to use the piece of furniture while charging the battery, Stecker explained.

At Emomo, addressing consumer demand for more convenience and functionality integrated into her seating experience has inspired its most recent innovations. Examples include the eMoMo Smart Tabletop, is a built-in control panel for motion functions plus integration with speakers, power outlets and other functions.

Even more, the wireless charging zone can be easily converted to a cup holder, said Emomo Vice President Rosary Tang. When mounted between seats, both the left- and right-side user will be able to control through the table top or the iCtrl app.

In addition to comfort-related function, Copper River Home continues development of its Bluetooth-enable Soundstage immersive sound system and the Aura system for personalized sound amplification.

Our focus has been on Solution Based Amenities, said Managing Partner Joe Savovic. By paying attention to common things in the areas of electronics that we use subconsciously and automatically in our everyday lives, our company has brought these particular amenities into the seating products we offer.

Crossing over

Component resources also are examining how motion-associated technology will move into other product categories creating opportunities to address various markets for work, leisure and health.

Raffel, for example is looking hard at what Stecker called adjacent markets for components typically associated with motion, incorporating AC outlets, additional USB ports and such in other furniture categories.

Were working with some case goods manufacturers, he said by way of example. Were coming up with retrofit items that can be placed on case goods or ottomans. The pandemic created bubbles where people are spending more time and working at home, and they need to charge or access their devices across the home.

Emomo also has a heavy development focus on bringing innovations originally created in motion into stationary upholstery and other categories throughout the home.

As a component supplier, we know traditional motion furniture will continue to evolve and that our Emomo solutions will play a critical role in the process, Tang said.

Health, wellness and looking ahead

While mechanism producers have been addressing health-related functions such as zero-gravity and other enhanced positioning features, component resources are and will pay greater attention to health and safety features in coming years.

We have already seen many changes but we are confident that the value of furniture will extend from traditional criteria of style, comfort and price to a much more concentrated focus on functionality, Emomos Tang said. This is where eMoMo is focused and why we are spending resources to meet this next generation of furniture consumer who is seeking these types of wellness and functional features as part of their seating experience.

Those include UV sanitization function in chargers and other components such as a new Steri-Doc charger.

Raffel also has developed UVC components for sanitization of devices.

Thats something where well see continued demand coming out of the pandemic as consumers have become more health conscious, its part of everyones life now, Stecker said. They want to do everything they can to make their home as safe as possible.

Holdover behaviors from the pandemic and health-related issues are two keys that will drive component innovation down the road, according to Stecker.

In our blue sky meetings with customers, all we hear about is demand for new technology and adding additional function to motion furniture, he said. Well see more accessories that utilize things like cupholders for charging not just cell phones, but tablets and laptops, grommets. Well see UVC (sanitizers) that will charge laptops.

In health- and wellness-related areas, he sees wider adaptation of air massage.

Weve been working with customers in residential as well as health care to add massage in the seat as well as backs, Stecker said. We see that utilizing residential furniture for home healthcare, and with treatment furniture like dialysis when theyre in a chair for hours. I think youll see the residential and health care markets collide a little bit and overlap.

Peper at Enouvation said consumers are requesting fewer limitations in everything they buy, and cordless function that allows unlimited placement of furniture and function is the future.

Look around our daily lives, we have more electronic cars (and these numbers are only getting larger every year), we have solar for our houses, and the next wave is battery storage, he said. When was the last time you used a phone that had a cord? No one wants to be tethered to the wall.

With open floor plans and indoor/outdoor mixed use spaces being key selling points for homes, we as consumers are responding to these concepts because were not being confined to the traditional spaces. Were taking down walls and living inside and outside.

As a market leader in power-pack technology, we would be letting our customers down if we didnt keep pressing the technology limits, Peper said. Efficient power drives, simplification of features, higher consumer awareness of power consumption from furniture, and consumers will be demanding cordless furniture. Furniture has too many bells and whistles that are starting to take away from the consumer experience. Ill be shocked if power motion furniture has to plugged into the wall in five years from now.

Savovic at Copper River also noted that no one is looking for yet another reading light or USB port at this point.

The technologies that win will be the ones that we are currently using every day but can seamlessly be integrated into our home furnishings in ways that are not necessarily visual or obvious, he said.

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Technology marches on: Innovation addresses how consumers live, and their health, wellness - Furniture Today