Z-Ball

Koen, on October 23:

This is one of the best seating ideas that have been produced lately. For some reason the studies of Dr. Mandel on the seated position are too often ignored in favour of a more traditional archetype of the “Chair”. In doing so a lot of talent has been and is being wasted on numerous irrelevant variations on the archetype. In the meantime people continue to damage there backs. The main problem is of course that the feeling of comfort is not the same as the effects over the long term. As Dr. Mandel pointed out most people that suffer from back pain in their forties were damaged in school, and most back pain suffering retirees spend hours and hours on so called ergonomically designed office seating that feels comfortable in the short term and does damage that is felt 15-20 years later.
This product is certainly a good contribution although I would have sacrificed the symmetry of the three so called handles to allow for more seat width. When the angle between torso and legs is more than 110 degrees (not just more than 90) the spine puts itself in a natural position similar to standing. The back does not need more support than that. To enclose the sides just reduces the circulation around the hips and does not serve any other purpose. I also think that the so called handles should have been shaped as handles. Especially a small child would need that kind of grip to position itself well on the unstable ball shape. As such that un-stability is a great feature because it requires a regular adjustment that makes the seated position more active.
In short: In spite of these small details and the primitive prototyping skills, this award is highly deserved and Ahrend should take it in production.