What it does
With the acceleration of social aging, aging-friendly design is bound to be the future trend. For mildly disabled elderly people, daily cooking faces challenges like discomfort from long standing and back pain (arthritis, herniated discs, osteoporosis, etc.)
Your inspiration
The design inspiration stems from observations of the pain points in kitchen activities of mildly disabled elderly: problems such as back pain, joint pressure, and operational inconvenience caused by long-standing, prompting the team to seek breakthroughs from "saddle shape" and "medical rehabilitation devices". The arc structure of the saddle can naturally guide the legs to a comfortable support area, reducing hip joint pressure, which becomes the core inspiration for the seat shape; meanwhile, referring to the support logic of rehabilitation equipment such as crutches and walkers
How it works
This aging-friendly kitchen bar stool achieves comprehensive support for elderly people's kitchen activities by integrating ergonomic design, intelligent adjustment technology, new material application, and safety protection systems. The core technical applications are as follows: Saddle-shaped ergonomic design: The arc-shaped seat cushion, modeled on a saddle, is designed according to the hip joint movement trajectory of the elderly, naturally guiding the legs to a comfortable support area to reduce knee and lumbar pressure. The arc-shaped backrest with elastic support strips simulates the lumbar traction principle of rehabilitation equipment to relieve prolonged sitting-induced 腰肌劳损 (lumbar muscle strain).
Design process
Design Process from Concept to Realization Conceptualization & Needs Analysis Identify pain points through field research: long-standing discomfort, joint strain, and safety risks faced by mildly disabled elderly in kitchens. Draw inspiration from saddle biomechanics (natural leg guidance) and rehabilitation equipment (joint support principles) to form the core design concept. Ergonomic Modeling & Prototype Development Create 3D scans of elderly users' body dimensions and movement trajectories to establish ergonomic data models. Design the saddle-shaped seat cushion with a 12° arc radius, simulating hip joint movement; the rounded edges of the base (radius ≥5mm) are optimized via pressure distribution simulations to prevent slipping. Material Selection & Technical Integration Select aviation-grade aluminum alloy (600MPa strength) for the frame to balance weight (≤8kg) and stability, validated through load-bearing tests (≥150kg). Incorporate memory foam (50D density) and antibacterial fabrics, testing their pressure dispersion via thermal imaging to ensure adaptation to sensitive skin.
How it is different
esign Cross-disciplinary Biomechanical Innovation Unlike the flat shape of traditional aging-friendly seats, this design integrates the arc structure of saddles with the joint support principles of rehabilitation equipment. The 12° arc seat cushion guides the legs to separate naturally through biomechanics, reducing hip joint pressure. This breakthrough goes beyond the limitation of conventional seats that "only provide support", actively relieving physical burdens at the movement trajectory level, while most similar products use fixed-angle cushions that cannot adapt to the hip joint activity characteristics of the elderly. Dynamic Pressure Dispersion Material System
Future plans
The future development direction and follow-up steps will focus on intelligent upgrading by adding sensors and AI to automatically adjust height and remind breaks for elderly health, modular expansion with detachable accessories like cutting boards and utensil racks that can link with smart home appliances to create an aging-friendly kitchen system, using eco-friendly materials such as degradable ones and recycled metal while recycling old products to reduce waste, collaborating across industries with hospitals to verify effectiveness and participate in formulating aging-friendly furniture standards,
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