You thought the Aeron was cool?  Wait till you take a seat on Herman Miller’s new Embody chair. Herman Miller, the company that designed the iconic Aeron Chair, is back with a new ergonomic desk chair meant to enhance health and productivity of workers called Embody. Designed by the late Bill Stumpf and Jeff Weber, the Embody chair was made to respond to involuntary human behavior. “Sitting in this chair versus other chairs you can actually reduce your heart rate, increase your blood flow and open up your chest cavity,” said Jeff Jansma, director of new product commercialization. One significant feature of the new chair is an exposed spine-like flexing structure for the backrest.

The back moves with 56 flexors to support the occupant, and the seat cushion is topped with 93 connected plastic discs, or pixels, to move as the sitter moves. Embody, which comes in 13 colors and three finishes, has a price tag slightly higher than the Aeron, costing $1,595. It will be available at retail stores sometime in early 2009 and hopes to attract early adopters and trendsetters in the market place. Although the company has yet to disclose if the two years of research it spent on Embody will spark future products, it concedes that there are other opportunities on the horizon. – Via