Finding the perfect ambient temperature for a crowded office is harder than tracking down the Higgs Boson. So instead of searching for the elusive thermostat setting that pleases everyone, a company called Temptronics puts that control in the hands, or butts, of every employee with a temperature-controlled chair.
You can already buy cooling or heating mats that basically do the same thing, but Temptronic’s chairs have that functionality built into the fabric. So they’re considerably more comfortable. And with individual controls they allow each employee to compensate for the temperature in the office, whether they find it too warm or too cold, instead of just griping about it.
The chairs cost around $US1100 if you’re buying them one at a time, but bulk orders for an entire office can bring that down to about $US800 per seat.
Each one is powered by a battery similar in size to one you’d find in a laptop that draws less than 75 watts. So in the long run the chairs could be cheaper to operate than a large heating or cooling system. [Temptronics via The Red Ferret Journal] [imgclear]