Jaguar Shapeshifting Chair

Jaguar Land Rover announced Thursday its development work on a “shape-shifting” chair designed to make whoever is sitting in it feel as though they’re walking. By tricking the brain into thinking the body is moving while it’s actually seated in a car, the health risks associated with sitting down for too long could potentially be greatly reduced.

(Related: 2019 Jaguar F-Type gets new tech and torque vectoring)

To accomplish this, the company integrated a collection of actuators in the seat foam that create “constant micro-adjustments” which lead to the brain believing that you’re taking rhythmic steps one leg at a time. The micro-adjustments can be tailored to individual drivers and passengers to ensure that everyone can benefit from this technology.

Such an invention can keep those who often take long journeys on the road from suffering the side effects of remaining seated for extended periods of time like shortened muscles in the legs, hips and gluteal, leading to back pain. Weakened leg muscles might also lead to falls or strains.

(Related: 4 exciting new developments from luxury carmakers)

This in-development morphing seat aligns with Jaguar Land Rovers Destination Zero vision, an ambition to make societies cleaner and the people within them safer and healthier. Preceding the shape-shifting seat are other automotive technological enhancements such as ultra-violet lighting to inhibit the spread of cold and flu, and adaptive vehicle dynamics that reduce motion sickness.

(Related: Review: Is the Jaguar I-Pace the best electric car you can buy in Singapore?)

We’re not exactly sure if feeling like walking burns as many calories as actually walking though – looks like you’ll have to burn off those Lunar New Year goodies the old-fashioned way.