Designworks, the design studio for the BMW Group, has uncovered its ultramodern gaming chair concept: The Rival Rig. As you’d expect from a performance car manufacturer, the design is packed with wild technology and wouldn’t look out of place on the race track.
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Image: Designworks/BMW
The Rival Rig has been constructed for optimal Esports play, taking functionality and comfort to the next level. It’s described as having a “Microclimate Control System” and “Adaptive Seating”, powered by a combination of AI-controlled sensors, pneumatic airpads, and electro-mechanical actuators. Designworks reportedly worked with gamers and athletes to understand body posture and the different moods they endure during gaming.
Although impressed and excited by the gadgetry of this throne, it is hard not to find some of these features comical. For instance, the Rival Rig can detect a rise in body temperature and then beam cool air to a particular area. Furthermore, the chair has different modes, like ease mode for a relaxed posture or boost mode, which brings the chair forward, and the table lowered for a more immersive experience. If that isn’t extreme enough, it also has a massage function to release any stress build up in muscles during a lengthy stint of button mashing. Unfortunately, the designers have yet to confirm whether the chair is configured with its own toilet system, meaning you will eventually have to hop out of this thing.
Image: Designworks/BMW
“The Rival Rig by BMW and Rivalworks, more than any other project before, was about pushing the boundaries of human capabilities,” President of Designworks Holger Hampf says in a press release. “What we wanted to achieve is a gaming rig design that takes both technology and aesthetics in this field to the next level. Our goal was to create the most comfortable seating, hand posture and head movement situation, that allow the gamer to fully immerse herself or himself and experience a sense of weightlessness. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for a designer to work on a project like this as we were able to play to extremes in terms of technology.”
The Rival Rig is a massive flex from the BMW team, who are looking to make waves in the gaming world. Whether this concept appeals to you or not, it’s fascinating to see boundaries being pushed in the industry.
Image: Designworks/BMW
Image: Designworks/BMW
Image: Designworks/BMW
Image: Designworks/BMW
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