2_9_ScanMag_74_March_2015_Text_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 09/03/2015 23:16 Page 77
Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Welfare Technology in Finland
Your body is a motor: the ergonomic chair that helps people maintain mobility. Armi Activechair is marketed mainly for individuals but also has a lot of potential for expansion to care homes and health clinics.
Your body is a motor – the ergonomic chair that helps people maintain mobility The Armi Activechair is a unique Finnish innovation where the person sitting is able to get up with minimal effort. By pressing down on the armrest, the chair’s mechanism props the person up – making this a very valuable tool for people with diminished mobility. By Ndéla Faye | Photos: Armi Activechair
“An 82-year-old lady was unable to get up from her chair, so she had to sit for hours waiting for a care assistant to arrive to help her up – that is how the story of the Armi Activechair began,” explains Jorma Eerola, Research and Design Director at TamErgo, the company behind Armi Activechair. The chair is an ergonomic product designed for older people, people with arthritis and those who suffer from poor muscle strength. The chair’s armrest and seat both tilt, making getting up naturally easy by simply leaning forward. The chair does the rest of the work. The chair can also be used for exercises to strengthen muscles and improve balance, which in turn helps to prevent falls. “Most of our customers sit down in the chair
and decide straight away that they want to buy it. It is so easy to use, and the fact that you are made able to get up without assistance is a huge deal for many people with a range of mobility issues,” says Petri Palo-oja, Managing Director of TamErgo.
marketed mainly for individuals but also has a lot of potential for expansion to care homes and health clinics. “At the moment the chair is available in Finland, Japan and the US. We will be expanding to Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the UK later on this year. There is a huge potential for the chair, with an ageing population we will need to start looking at increasing ways to help people with their mobility,” states Palo-oja.
“We combined mechanics with ergonomics: although the only motor in the chair is the person sitting – by leaning forward, they are able to get up unassisted. We find it crucial that people keep moving; staying still weakens muscles and quickens degeneration, so this will help many people maintain their independence for much longer,” says Palo-oja. The chair is the first of its kind and has sparked huge international interest. It is
For more information, please visit: www.armi-aktiivituoli.fi
Issue 74 | March 2015 | 77