Solo 3

Tutorials 22nd of may 2026

A backwards tilted seating surface supports the pressure of the massage wheels on the users back.

A footrest has been added to give the user the ability to rock through their legs and not just weight shifting their upper body.

The massage wheels distance has been adjusted to fit to the shape of a human back.

The distance in which the massage contraption will be installed will be determined by trial and error after building the chair itself.

Technical views

Wood type is going to be ash wood, since it’s bendible and withstands they various forces beeing applied by rocking. Ash wood is luckily directly available in stock in the universities wood workshop.

Building a narrative

Terms:

• Active interaction

• Consoling touch

• Constant motion

• Energy humans passively apply to their surroundings
• Consumption of human power through usual carework

How could the narrative built around the rocking chair include the positive effects of these ideas to form an innovative, speculative concept?

What kind of symbolism could be used to convey this idea?

a rocking massage chair

based on feedback from midterms, a new design for fulfilling the idea of having a chair that includes active interaction, consoling touch & constant motion without the need of constantly pushing a pedal with ones feet.

Simplistic model to visualize mechanical solution

A pulley connected to the rocking chair is powered through the back and forth motion of the chair itself, by a lever fixed to the floor. This pulley powers massage rollers on the back of the chair via a belt.

Pulleys and timing belts exist in variable sizes and can be matched to the required distances of the contraption.

Inside of the pulleys bearings will be installed to connect rods to the corresponding parts such as the massage wheels.

message wheel concept

The message wheels are planned from wood, to have a natural material which is supposed to give a pleasant feeling on touch while being easily shapeable.

Aesthetics

scandinavian rocking chair

Scandinavian Lounge Chairs

Further Steps

• Have a chat with Matthias about car parts

• Figure out the exact placement of the message rollers in relation to the human body

• Meeting with Boris Odehnal (Head of Geometry Institute of Angewandte) for calculation of distances for the contraption

• Design pleasant aesthetics keeping a balance between comfort and technicality of the design