Despite the known adverse effects of plastics on the environment, they are still one of the most widely-used materials because of their versatility and other useful properties. Hence, it is vital to optimize plastics' lifespan by recycling them, as reusing or recycling this material can reduce our need to create new plastic. As part of efforts to at least lower the use of new plastics produced, Finnish energy company Fortum has designed a chair that is evidence of what can be achieved with recycled plastics today. Made of post-consumer plastic waste, the Virén Chair has a unique feature that makes it stand out. The chair, named after the Finnish long-distance runner Lasse Virén, picks itself up if it falls. Yes, you read right. Read this post of SURFACES REPORTER (SR) to learn how this chair is made and what makes this chair stand up again without any external help. Don't forget to watch a video at the end of this post showcasing how it gets up after a fall.
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Sustainable Alternative to Virgin Plastics
Recycled plastic is often used in simple products. The Virén Chair by Fortum Circo presents a sustainable alternative to virgin plastics that can allow many industries to reduce the ecological impact.
The company improved the qualities of recycled plastic to create compounds that can be used in more technical and product-wise sturdier products, of which the Virén Chair acts as a fine example. A team of physicists, engineers and researchers were involved in the process of designing a chair that stands up on its own without robotics but motion and its own design.
Paying Ode to Famed Athlete Lasse Virén
During the Summer Olympics at Munich in 1972, Finnish long-distance runner Lasse Virén fell in the middle of the 10,000-meter finals. But he did not give up; he stood and started running again. And much to everyone's surprise, he not only finished the race, but he won the gold for that event and set new records.
Therefore, the company named the chair after a distinguished athlete to represent the power of getting up again without any external support. "The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Virén's legendary run, making it the perfect time to pay tribute and encapsulate his spirit. The chair will forever represent Virén's legacy, comebacks and progression, showing what resilience can help achieve, be it in the realm of sports or plastic recycling," mentioned on the website.
Some chairs can topple over, but none can stand up on theirs, not unless some external robotics help is involved. However, the company optimized the science of motion that makes the fallen chair stand up on its own. The chair uses the mechanism of the fall to roll on its back, where a sort of momentum makes it roll upright again.
The entire chair design is a metaphor, for instance, the legs of the chair look like a runner who is in the middle of a race.
Also Read: Robotic Manufacturing Mutates Leftover Wood into Elegant Chairs | Computational Log Chair
A Push For Sustainability
Although recycled plastics are not new, the project pushes the boundaries of using plastic recyclate materials to design more complicated shapes. The chair is made by fusing the post-consumer plastic waste with other materials, such as cellulose fiber.
Unfortunately, a few prototypes of Virén Chair are formed that are not for sale but are produced to showcase Fortum Circo®. SURFACES REPORTER (SR) hopes that this is not the case forever, and in future, we will see that the company will mass produce Viren chairs so that everyone can purchase recycled plastic chairs and contribute to stemming the tide of the plastic waste.
Fortum Virén Chair Stands Up Itself If It Falls
*Info, images and video courtesy: https://www.fortum.com/virenchair/
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