Design of a voice coil actuated office chair

Abstract

In recent times, the use of robots in industry has revolutionized production methods, and enabled an increase in the quality of goods manufactured while decreasing the long term cost of labor. The commercial market, however, is largely lacking in robotic technology which could potentially revolutionize many everyday tasks undertaken by humans. This thesis describes a design integrating robotic technology with a common office chair. The requirements of such a chair are discussed, as well as the resulting design decisions. The advantages and drawbacks of the Voice Coil Actuators used in the design are also discussed. A prototype control system, enabling ergonomically beneficial motion is described and analyzed. Additionally, qualitative feedback from human testers is given, and suggestions for future work are made.