Healthcare Products Seen at NeoCon & Design Days

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Last week, I spent a day and a half walking around NeoCon at The Merchandise Mart and Design Days at Fulton Market. While I wish everything was still under one roof, adding Fulton Market to this annual June event in Chicago has definitely been refreshing.

Plus, I got to take a rickshaw ride back to The Mart from Fulton Market. That was really fun.

Although the focus of NeoCon (and now Design Days) has always primarily been on office furniture, furnishings, flooring, and fabric, there’s plenty of healthcare products to check out as well.

My Favorite Product

But my overall favorite product at NeoCon and Design Days was not a healthcare product at all. But it could be…some day.

Just like putting wheels on suitcases revolutionized shlepping your bag through an airport, KI’s Cognetic Technology introduced a new way to support sitting that could revolutionize seating.

Most office chairs do not have any movement in them, except for height adjustment up and down and maybe a forward and backward tilt. Cognetic Technology is unique in that it moves in multi-directional fashion — almost like a sitting Spirograph of random orbital motion that is very calming. (Check out this video of me sitting in the chair)

Even better, early studies have shown a 30% reduction in anxiety and improved cognitive performance.

It received a well-deserved Best of Competition Award from the Best of NeoCon judges.

Beyond office and lounge seating, there may be applications for this technology in clinical healthcare spaces, such as a maternity chair that improves upon the standard rocker. Or a chair for behavioral health.

It will be interesting to see where KI goes with this technology. Stay tuned.

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