Asimov

Chair Production Concept

2009

Asimov - chairs folded from a sheet of metal by robots. Producing chairs on demand, on the spot, was the basic idea. Reducing transportation, and therefore costs and pollution, would be a main positive effect. The concept is property of Joris Laarman Studio.

I had been working on this concept during my internship. My task was to find a pattern, which, after carved into a sheet of metal and folded afterwards, becomes an interessting and comfortable chair. Sacle-models were done from paper and real size models from cardboard.

It was actually quite a struggle to find the right pattern. The sheets - folded by robotic arms - needed to be exact in the right proportions. The following apsects were essential for this chair; distances from floor to seating, sizes and angels from the seating and the backrest, bending-behavior of the material. Please notice; the change of one aspect will effect all the other aspects too.

The two pictures above and below showing a small-scale assembly-line with some folded chairs. The installation were developed and constructed by Robofold, after my internship ended.