Saturday, March 14, 2009

Where to Buy the Embody Chair

Herman Miller's Embody chair will appeal to those who are looking for a different type of seating experience and like the thought of a chair in which you seem to be floating.

The revolutionary Backform support is designed to follow and support every move you make no matter how small, so you are always comfortably and properly supported.

It is upholstered with a breathable fabric which isn't as harsh as mesh so you get better seating comfort and don't find yourself feeling uncomfortably warm on hot summer days.

The Embody comes in one size and by selecting the gas lift which is best for your body size you will be able to work in greater comfort and be more productive.

It has the Miller vote of confidence with a 12 year 3 shift warranty so you can be confident it's designed to last and give you years of comfortable service.

Internet Retailers: Starting at $1495 (Company Reviews);free shipping; must purchase a service plan to be able to return for free Same starting price, 25% resocking fee; free shipping Low price guarantee, free shipping, customizable, 365 day returns, free return shipping, no restocking fees

Embody Chair Product Review

Review From Core 77

Buying a long-term-use product, like an office chair, is a tough decision. After all, how can you really test it out--by bouncing up and down on it in the showroom? Will lying on a mattress for 30 seconds tells you whether it's worth sleeping on 8 hours a night for five years?

With that in mind, we opted not to rush out a review of Herman Miller's new Embody chair. Instead we spent every day for just over a month living with the chair, putting it through its paces, and trying to wear it out. We also avoided reading the product copy (beyond how to adjust the chair) to avoid influencing our findings. We will refer to it now, as we write this piece up.

The last thing we want to state in this intro will be important to many of you: Be sure to take a look at Herman Miller's new website, which seeks your input and good ideas, and lets you read others'. Every week, Herman Miller goes over the suggestions and awards a free Embody chair to the best idea!

Like the Aeron, the Embody chair strives to completely surpass the competition with a new style of construction and body support. Designers Jeff Weber and the late Bill Stumpf used a breathable textile to cover multiple layers of mesh-like springs, and took a cue from the digital age by incorporating "pixelated support;" think of a bed of nails, with wishbone-shaped plastic springs in place of the nails.

The Embody features six adjustable elements, all listed below. (You'd never figure out what these knobs and levers do on your own, but a printed card that comes with the chair explains it concisely, and we had our chair "up-and-running" in a matter of seconds.)

Tilt Limiter. This lever on the back determines the maximum angle of recline; lean back as far as you'd like to be able to stretch (or sit ramroad straight if you want zero-give) and lock it into place.

Backfit. Rotating this knob alters the shape of the seatback, enabling it to "fill in" your lumbar.

In a perfect world, you'd adjust these elements once--the first time you sit in the chair--and forget about them. More on that later.

Actual Usage:

In the first week of usage, I didn't notice anything unusual about the Embody; it just seemed to be a very comfortable chair. My initial observations were:

- The seat cushion was well-balanced between providing support without feeling "dead;" it had the right, understated amount of "spring" to it.

- Armrests at the proper height make a huge difference, supporting the mouse hand. The chair I used prior did not support my arm at a height to use the mouse, meaning I have had a perennial ache on the heel of my right hand, which often rubbed/pressed against the desk while mousing.

- Loosening the tilt means you can sit at a slight recline, rather than at the rest position; I found myself switching between these two positions frequently to "mix it up," and I found the variety comfortable.

- There was a satisfaction at using a chair that, after adjusting, is perfectly fitted to you. (I am below average height and weight, so finding a chair that tilts the right amount and supports in the right places is often difficult for me.)

- The chair seems sturdy and well-built (with the exception of the arm-width mechanism, see below).

But, as I said, I didn't find these things special or extraordinary. Any good office chair, I felt, ought to offer these things.

What is extraordinary about this chair:

My opinions of the chair changed during the second week, when I went to my barber. I have always found the chairs there to be exceedingly comfortable, and was surprised to find they no longer were. I asked if they had changed their chairs. Nope, same chairs as always. But sitting in two of them (I asked to switch), I became acutely aware of a lack of support in the right places. When I returned to sit in the Embody, I realized the chair was spoiling me.

By the third week I realized I was subconsciously doing strange things in the chair. What the "pixelated support" means, practically speaking, is that you can lean back in the chair and twist into a stretch--and the chair moves along with you, supporting you at even points. It's tough to describe but it offers a certain amount of comfortable resistance without impeding your motion, and I found myself occasionally twist-stretching just to feel the chair, like a dog leaning into a scratch.

Then I found myself doing this thing where I lay my forearms flat on the armrests, move my arms back and hook my elbows on the back of the armrest, and use that tension to arch my back and stretch my neck upwards. I couldn't tell you what made me think to do this, but I now find myself doing it all the time for a simple reason: It feels good.

After catching myself in a few other weird stretches, I realized that the chair's combination of flexibility and rigidity almost encourages you to "play" with it. Not a focused kind of play; I would still be looking at my monitor and/or typing, but would find myself shifting around, wedging some body part against a stiffer element and stretching an opposite body part into the other direction.

When referring to the product copy this morning, I read that the designers apparently intended this chair to encourage you to move around in it, and there's a five-page PDF detailing how the chair was designed to promote "tissue perfusion."

In a world where sitting is more prevalent in the workplace than ever, discomfort can become all too commonplace. Much of this discomfort is tied directly to the pressure the body's weight puts on the ischial tuberosities, or sitting bones," at the base of the pelvis and the surrounding soft tissue. The longer a person sits, the more the tissue will be exposed to static pressure loads. Relieving that pressure through innovative engineering is healthier for the sitter.

The entire scientific explanation is too long to go into here, but I recommend curious readers give it a look: Documents 1, 2, and 3.

I am a skeptic when it comes to these things, so I found it hard to believe the designers at Herman Miller could predict ways in which a user might want to stretch and design a chair around that. But I couldn't deny there was something to this--in other office chairs I've used, I will of course occasionally stretch; but the difference with the Embody was that I was stretching into the chair, using parts of it like some kind of Pilates ball. It really has to be experienced to be understood.

Problems and criticisms:

This chair is best used if you're leaving it in front of a single desk, as 90% of you probably do; I however work in a flexible loft situation that requires things frequently be moved around, which I'm guessing is atypical, and it has led me to observe the following about the chair:

Unlike the Embody's other adjustables, the arm-width mechanism is janky and does not feel like a well-designed mechanism. Because I work in a dog-friendly environment, I must move the chair across the room twice daily, to get it out of the way for sweeping. I inevitably grab one of the armrests to move the chair--and that armrest then clicks out of place. When I re-man the chair afterwards, returning that armrest to its desired position is always a chore; press too lightly and it will not move, press too hard and you overshoot your desired position by two clicks. There is a lot of "slop" in the mechanism.

I'd recommend choosing a dark color for the fabric. I'm not a particularly dirty person, but I often wear jeans and sit on your typical NYC surfaces--benches, subway seats, and occasionally stoops--which means gathering a certain amount of dirt. In just under a month of use, the bright yellow seat on my Embody has become faded and discolored, with darker bands where my legs go, and the color noticeably more vibrant in between. There are instructions on how to clean the fabric, but frankly I don't want to have to clean an office chair. An Aeron in use for six years simply doesn't show dirt--it could be teeming with bacteria, but darn if they don't still look spiffy.

The textured white plastic used for the "skeletals" on the back of the chair are a chore to clean. Those who work in antiseptic office environments may not have to worry about this, but after just two weeks in the high-traffic loft where I work, they had already accumulated a layer of dust, meaning I have to wipe each rib down with a Swiffer.


I realize this is all subjective, but I find the aesthetic choices behind the Embody rather peculiar, especially when compared with its predecessor. The Aeron looks high-tech, businesslike, sober, and comfortable. The Embody comes in bright, poppy colors, has a more frivolous look, and the exposed, plastic skeletals beg the question--why? These ribs unquestionably perform fantastically--sit with them for a few weeks and you'll see--but why do we need to see them? I much prefer to feel them, and a certainly don't want to clean them every two weeks; I'd prefer they were covered.

I'm also not crazy about the overall look; for me personally, it seems the chair tries too hard to draw attention to itself. I liked the Aeron because it was content to fade into the background. This chair seems like, visually speaking, it's overcompensating for something.


With a $1,600 asking price, the Embody comes on the market at a rather hard time; were this the heady dot-com boom years, when people were flush, I've no doubt you'd be seeing this chair in every office from SoHo to Silicon Valley. As it stands, I believe it will be a hard sell for companies to outfit their offices with Embody chairs when Aerons can be had for half the price.

Which is not to say the Embody isn't good; it's fantastic to sit in and, frankly speaking, will ruin you for other chairs, which will simply never measure up. Warts and all, this is the most comfortable office chair I've ever sat in for extended periods, and it does things that the Aeron cannot (i.e. twists and flexes).

Something I found amusing is that the product copy points out the chair is 95% recyclable. Anyone who drops $1,600 on this chair, and/or sits in it for more than a week, will simply never throw it away.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Why Did Herman Miller Design the Embody Chair?

Embody Chair Video

Embody 3D Model

This Embody Chair model is available on the Google 3D Warehouse at

Is the Embody Poised to be the Next Big Thing?

At $1600 a pop, is the market really ready for a new big thing?
Herman Miller says its got the next big thing and it went into production last October. It’s the Embody chair. Embody is the last concept of the late Bill Stumpf, perhaps the greatest work-chair designer we’ve seen, whose many design (and codesign) contributions to MLHR– Ergon, Equa, and Aeron chairs and HMI’s Ethospace system – have brought revenues of about $3 billion to the company. Mr. Stumpf, of course, had collaborators, and Embody was conceived with Jeff Weber in Stumpf Weber + Associates (now, Studio Weber + Associates), and developed with a cross-functional team from Herman Miller and consultants from academia, with experts in the fields of healthcare and ergonomics.

If Herman’s Miller’s enthusiasm is at a high pitch, the company has earned its soap box. Few will question that HM’s introduction of the Aeron chair in 1995 popped the cork on what turned out to be the most successful office furniture product in history and, in its wake, brought along what is now a growing array of fine work/task chairs from diverse manufacturers. In the thirteen years since Aeron’s introduction, many have wondered how HMI wouild follow that act. The answer has been, “more Aeron,” as the chair was improved very substantially by the addition of the Posture Fit back support and the very attractive and refined pellicle offerings designed by Martha Burns. In the meanwhile, the company introduced a two additional task chairs – Mirra and Celle; while these chairs are at slightly reduced price points, each is a very fine chair in its own right that introduced new technology and concepts that are carried forward into Embody. What does it take to create a great chair. Herman Miller thinks it has the answer.

Can a Chair Be Good For You?

Herman Miller Claims the Embody is "Good For You". Can a chair really be good for you?


Herman Miller’s heir apparent to the Aeron Chair, the Embody series, is a design that promises to promote clear-minded thinking by lowering the stress placed upon the body while sitting. With that in mind, they’ve created a microsite called Thought Pile that invites users to participate in an ideas forum by answering weekly questions that are meant to provoke conversation and innovation. The results are displayed visually in a mind map on the screen, the circles displaying individual concepts growing in real time as the audience votes. Interaction can be as simple as clicking agree or disagree based on an opinion to the responses or by writing comments that further the discussion within the community. At the end of the week, the person whose solution or thought has received the most positive reactions will be awarded an Embody Chair.

The company says, that it lets your body move and keeps you well supported, because your mind works best when you move freely and stress is minimized on your muscles, bones, and tissues. Blood circulates better, heart rate goes down, more oxygen flows to the brain, and there is no distracting discomfort or physical constraint. That's critical in our idea economy where innovation drives success and people get paid for their thoughts and creativity.

Healthful MovementNew tilt technology. Embody's rotation points are within the seat and back, and the base of the back remains fixed relative to the seat; this encourages the body to move naturally into the most positive seated postures.
Consistent support. Whether you lean forward or recline, your lower back support remains constant--no adjustments needed; users of all sizes can easily assume and maintain a reclined position.

Working recline posture. Embody encourages this most healthful posture for computer users; working recline reduces compression of the spine and slows fluid loss from discs; plus, your head stays in line with your computer display.

Narrow backrest. Your arms move unimpeded, adding comfort and encouraging additional air movement into the lungs to feed your brain.
Supporting You NaturallyMimics the spine. The back is "alive," adapting to the shape and movement of your spine; it automatically adjusts to your shifting positions and supports you through the full range of working postures.

Backfit adjustment. No matter what your spinal curvature, this adjustment lets you achieve a neutral, balanced posture and stay aligned with your computer display.
Gentle contact. Embody has no hard, rigid frames; edges flex so there is no pressure on your legs and arms.

Conforming to You Pixelated support. A matrix of pixels creates dynamic seat-and-back surfaces that automatically conform to your every movement and distribute your weight evenly.
Reduced stress. By fitting your form and reducing seated pressure, Embody increases blood circulation, which improves the flow of oxygen and decreases heart rate.
One chair size fits every body. Embody automatically adapts to the wide variation in people's size, shape, posture, and spinal curve; seat depth adjusts to different thigh lengths; armrest motions fit the broadest ranges.
Form = Function The look communicates performance. The chair's profile, which mimics the spine, is driven by its health-positive features.

Visual contrast and balance. When viewed from the back, the technology is exposed; when viewed from the front, you see organic shapes and curves.
Textiles add warmth. More like a skin than a covering; textiles are meant to enhance, not cover up; they have "loft" for a cushy feel; light and air pass through; colors pair with two frame colors and three base colors to simplify choice and appeal to universal tastes.

Helps the World Around YouStrict standards. The Embody chair adheres to the McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) Cradle to Cradle protocol and supports Herman Miller's commitment to the environment.

Certifications. Embody is MBDC Cradle to Cradle Silver certified and GREENGUARD certified; Embody can also provide credits for LEED certification.
Recylable. Embody is 95 percent recyclable, has 42 percent recycled content, and contains no PVCs.

Embody is Good for You

Herman Miller Embody Chair

The look communicates performance. The chair's profile, which mimics the spine, is driven by its health-positive features. Visual contrast and balance. When viewed from the back, the technology is exposed; when viewed from the front, you see organic shapes and curves.


The innovation of the decade, the magnificent new Herman Miller Embody Chair, redefines ergonomics and resets the bar for seated comfort! Its shape alone is groundbreaking: viewed from the front, you see the graceful, organic curves that make up this elegant masterpiece, and viewed from the back, the technology is exposed beautifully. The Embody Chair evolved from the concept that your mind works best when you move freely. With 6 ergonomic functions and endless intuitive functions, this is truly the greatest chair manufactured to date!

Embody Design Story

The Embody story began in the design studio of Jeff Weber and the late Bill Stumpf. They had an idea: 'What if a design could go beyond just minimizing the negative effects of sitting? What if we designed a chair that positively impacts your life so you can work and live better?"
Stumpf, co-designer of Herman Miller's Aeron, Equa, and Ergon work chairs, came to Herman Miller and said, "I think I have one more in me." Stumpf passed away in 2006. Working closely with a cross-functional team from Herman Miller, Weber carried on. As Embody's designer, Weber gave the chair its function and form, building on Stumpf's inspiration.
Their idea arose out of their approach to design. "You can't design without empathy," says Weber, who also designed Herman Miller's Caper chair. "Since design has become more technology-based, we've had to sit in our chairs in front of computers for longer periods of time, just like everyone else. We identify with the problems people have as a result of sitting, and we identify with their need to produce ideas."

Overview of the Embody Chair

You point, click, and fixate on your computer screen. And you sit still for hours. Your body screams, "Move!" … Unless you're seated in Embody.

Designed specifically for people who interact with computers for long periods of time, Embody is a huge leap forward in seating. With a back that is “alive,” mimicking your spine to promote health-positive sitting, Embody creates harmony between you and your computer. In fact, Embody is the first work chair that supports your mind as well as your body, enabling you to focus, think clearly, and create.

Rated Gizmodo's "Best Chair Ever Sat On"Visionary design juxtaposes exposed technology with organic curvesNarrow back for unimpeded arm movement, encouraging air movement into the lungs to feed your brain

Backfit™ adjustment instinctively adapts to your spine through the full range of working positionsTilt Technology™ naturally guides your body into the most positive seated postures

Pixelated Support™ matrix makes you feel like you are floatingRecline flex provides constant lower back support with unparalleled recline positionsAdjustable seat depth and tilt control to conform to your exact shape

Optional arms adjust 6” horizontally and verticallyExposed back moves heat away from the bodySeat edges flex, eliminating pressure on your legs and arms”Loft” fabric has a cushy feel, allowing light and air to pass throughCradle to Cradle and GREENGUARD certified95% recyclable with 42% recycled content; contains no PVCsWeight capacity: 300 lbs.Made in the USA


Chair available with or without adjustable arms
Frame available in White and Graphite
Base available in Titanium, Graphite, and Polished Aluminum
Option to include three different types of chair casters
Available in a variety of resilient, breathable fabrics
Chairs with Carbon or Black fabric have a Graphite grey back mat; all other fabric options have a translucent back mat

Backfit™ Adjustment

Instinctively adapts to your spine’s curvature and movement through the full range of working postures Increases blood circulation, redirecting oxygen to the brain while decreasing your heart rate Naturally keeps your head and hips balanced, and perfectly aligned with your computer screen
Recline Flex

Lower back support remains constant, whether you lean forward or recline
Working recline stabilizes pelvis and reduces compression of the spine, slowing fluid loss from discs
Seat stays flat as back reclines, keeping thighs parallel to floor for ideal seating posture

Tilt Technology™

Rotation points within seat and back provides three zones of support, naturally guiding your body into the most positive seated postures Eliminates pressure behind knees for people with of all leg lengths Tilt adjust lever and seat depth adjuster fit your exact needs - learn more with the Embody Adjustment Manual

Pixelated Support™

Pixel matrix creates dynamic seat-and-back surfaces that evenly distribute your weight at the tiniest movement
H-Flexors and coiled springs respond to movement individually, making you feel as if you are floating

Three caster options, each with black nylon double wheel and a 2 ½” diameter, accommodate all styles of flooring:

Standard casters – work well on most low pile office carpets
Hardwood casters – thin rubber coating prevents damage to flooring and provides greater traction
Deep-carpet casters – allows user to avoid snags and move easily across thicker carpets

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Does the Embody Chair Really Work?

If you sit at your desk for hours a day, you probably think of what you sit in as just another part of your body. It never occurred to me that what I sat in could actually help me feel better . . . much less think better. Nonetheless, with the new Embody Chair from Herman Miller, the maker of the chair (Herman Miller) claims to do just that.

But is it true?
After looking at dozens of options, it seemed to me that Embody Chair was the "state of the art." But could it really make you feel better at the end of the day and make you work/think better? I spent some time looking at the research for the Embody Chair.

Some of the articles are below:

Improving Oxygen Flow While Seated: How the Embody chair's design promotes tissue perfusion

Promoting Healthy Movement and Natural Alignment: The research and design behind the Embody tilt

Sitting Can Be Good for the Circulatory System: How the Embody chair lowers heart rate

The Attributes of Thermal Comfort: Ergonomic criteria for the design of "breathable" work chairs

The Art and Science of Pressure Distribution: Ergonomic criteria for the design of work chairs

The bottom line is that Herman Miller claims that the Embody Chair helps improve the flow of oxygen, supports you as you move in your chair, and uses its pixel system to distribute weight properly. In their words:

The science seems believable enough, but before making the plunge (about $1600!), I looked around to see what other were saying. People at Forbes said that it is the best chair yet. Really? It made rank on the Awesomer. At Gizmodo, they say "it is the most comfortable chair we've ever sat in." That's solid. Then Wired said:

"It may not have an accelerometer. Or an OLED. Or lasers. Or image-stabilization. You can't even plug it in to an electric socket. But the Herman Miller Embody chair has got its back (and yours) covered with meticulous engineering. The thing is adjustable to Asperger's levels of obsession; controls exist to cradle your lumbar, hips and neck. Plus the multilayered seat absorbs even the most microscopic shifts in weight, cupping your derriere no matter how much (or little) you move. It's the greatest breakthrough in ass-to-comfort technology since, well, the Aeron chair."

The greatest breakthrough in ass-to comfort--I'm sold.