As crazy as the title sounds, it kind of makes sense. If we treat VR as a 3D ride (even though it’s much more), then by adding something like a remote-controlled chair, we’re able to take that experience and create a more immersive 4D experience.

 On August 3, 2015, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited filed in the US via the USPTO a trademark application for “Computer Controlled Furniture and Method”. It is originally a UK filing dating from 2014, but it was published in the US today on February 18, 2016. Inventor is Andy Thomason (Goldsmiths & Sony). 

The patent itself aims for

A re-configurable item of furniture is provided, and includes at least a first reconfigurable portion having in turn a plurality of deformable cells, each having electrically operated valves to control a gas inflow to the respective cells from a gas inflow source, and a gas outflow from the respective cells, to thereby modify the pressure within respective cells. The gas inflow source includes a high-pressure reservoir cell among the plurality of deformable cells. The item of furniture also includes a control unit arranged to transmit control signals to a plurality of the electrically operated valves, including a valve of the high-pressure reservoir cell, to modify the pressure within a plurality of the cells in a coordinated manner selected to generate a new configuration of support for a user of the furniture.

More on the computer-controlled furniture patent after the jump.

Claims

1. A re-configurable item of furniture, comprising: at least a first reconfigurable portion comprising in turn: a plurality of deformable cells, each respective one of the plurality of deformable cells having electrically operated valves to control a gas inflow to the respective cells from a gas inflow source, and a gas outflow from the respective cells, to thereby modify a pressure within respective cells; and a control unit arranged to transmit control signals to a plurality of the electrically operated valves to modify the pressure within a plurality of the cells in a coordinated manner selected to generate a new configuration of support for a user of the furniture; and wherein the gas inflow source comprises a high-pressure reservoir cell among the plurality of deformable cells. 

2. A re-configurable item of furniture according to claim 1, in which the first reconfigurable portion comprises an array of the deformable cells arranged to occupy a seating area to be sat on by a user. 

3. A re-configurable item of furniture according to claim 1, in which the gas inflow source is supplied by an air compressor. 

4. A re-configurable item of furniture according to claim 3, in which the gas outflow from one or more of the respective cells leads to an input to the air compressor. 

5. A re-configurable item of furniture according to claim 1, in which for one or more of the respective cells, the electrically operated valve controlling gas inflow to the one or more respective cells directly couples the one or more respective cells to the high-pressure reservoir cell. 

6. A re-configurable item of furniture according to claim 1, in which a plurality of the electrically operated valves share a common power line, and open or close in response to instructions associated with respective IDs. 

7. A re-configurable item of furniture according to claim 1, comprising: at least a first high tension flexible restraint arranged to limit expansion of a portion of the item of furniture beyond a certain set extent. 

8. A re-configurable item of furniture according to claim 1, in which the coordinated modification of pressure within the plurality of cells is selected so as to increase pressure in a cell that rises above the seating area and is located in a direction to which the new configuration of support will tilt a user of the furniture. 

9. A re-configurable item of furniture according to claim 1, comprising: a padded rigid seating unit positioned on top of cells in a seating area of the chair, the padded rigid seating unit comprising an accelerometer operable to indicate a direction and amount of tilt of the padded rigid seating unit. 

10. A re-configurable item of furniture according to claim 1, in which the control unit comprises: a receiver; and is arranged in operation to receive instructions representative of the new configuration of support from a remote device. 

11. A remote device, comprising: instruction processing means operable to generate, responsive to current visual content being output by the remote device, instructions representative of a new configuration of support for a reconfigurable item of furniture that in turn comprises at least a first reconfigurable portion comprising in turn a plurality of deformable cells, each respective one of the plurality of deformable cells having electrically operated valves to control a gas inflow to the respective cells from a gas inflow source, and a gas outflow from the respective cells, to thereby modify a pressure within respective cells, wherein the gas inflow source comprises a high-pressure reservoir cell among the plurality of deformable cells; and a transmitter operable to transmit the generated instructions to the reconfigurable item of furniture. 

12. A method of reconfiguring an item of furniture comprising at least a first reconfigurable portion comprising in turn a plurality of deformable cells, each respective one of the plurality of deformable cells having electrically operated valves to control a gas inflow to the respective cells from a gas inflow source, and a gas outflow from the respective cells, to thereby modify a pressure within respective cells, wherein the gas inflow source comprises a high-pressure reservoir cell among the plurality of deformable cells, the item of furniture also comprising a control unit, the method comprising the steps of: receiving instructions representative of a new configuration of support from a remote device; and transmitting control signals to a plurality of the electrically operated valves, including a valve of the high-pressure reservoir cell, to modify the pressure within given ones of the cells in a coordinated manner selected to generate the new configuration of support for a user of the furniture. 

13. A method of reconfiguring an item of furniture that comprises at least a first reconfigurable portion comprising in turn a plurality of deformable cells, each respective one of the plurality of deformable cells having electrically operated valves to control a gas inflow to the respective cells from a gas inflow source, and a gas outflow from the respective cells, to thereby modify a pressure within respective cells, wherein the gas inflow source comprises a high-pressure reservoir cell among the plurality of deformable cells, the method comprising the steps of: generating at a remote device instructions representative of a configuration of support for the item of furniture, responsive to current visual content being output by the remote device; and transmitting the generated instructions to a control unit of the reconfigurable item of furniture. 

14. A non-transitory computer program product comprising a tangible computer readable medium storing computer instructions thereon, the computer instructions adapted to cause a computer to carry out a method of: reconfiguring an item of furniture that comprises at least a first reconfigurable portion comprising in turn a plurality of deformable cells, each respective one of the plurality of deformable cells having electrically operated valves to control a gas inflow to the respective cells from a gas inflow source, and a gas outflow from the respective cells, to thereby modify a pressure within respective cells, wherein the gas inflow source comprises a high-pressure reservoir cell among the plurality of deformable cells, the reconfiguring step in turn comprising the steps of: generating instructions representative of a configuration of support for the item of furniture, responsive to current visual content being output by the remote device; and transmitting the generated instructions to a control unit of the reconfigurable item of furniture.

Discuss:

Do you think creating computer-controlled furniture to work with PS VR makes sense?

[Via Neogaf]