The Embody
By: Herman Miller

Embody is Good for You
Embody 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 Movement
New 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 Naturally
Mimics 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 You
Strict 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.

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, designer or co-designer of Herman Miller's Aeron, Equa, and Ergon work chairs, came to Herman Miller with the idea 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."

Throughout the development of Embody, over 30 professionals contributed a range of expertise. Physicians and PhDs in the fields of biomechanics, vision, physical therapy, and ergonomics helped test hypotheses, review prototypes, and conduct studies that helped guide the development of the first health-positive chair.

In the earliest discussions with the experts, three hypotheses were tested on them:

Office worker well-being and health can be health-positive or therapeutic, not merely health-neutral.

Dynamic surface pressure on a chair and back will provide more comfort, liveliness, and health-positive benefits than non-dynamic surface pressure.

Work chairs can allow us to naturally achieve postural equilibrium (the upright balance point when our eyes are vertically aligned with our hips), no matter what our spinal curvature.

Expert input on these hypothesis fueled Weber and Stumpf's early thinking about the chair and formed the basis of experiments designed to establish if such a chair was possible. Prototypes followed, with experts sitting in them and offering appraisals of what was good and what wasn't. Researchers conducted laboratory experiments involving kinematics, preferred postures, pressure distribution, seated tasks, and metabolics. These guided the development of Embody and confirmed its health-positive benefits.