Backball chair lets you mouse by the seat of your pants
By Donald Melanson 
posted Aug 6th 2008 2:33PM
posted Aug 6th 2008 2:33PM
While we can't quite picture it improving your Counterstrike game very much, the design-minded folks at Interaction Architecture seem to think that this so-called "Backball" chair of theirs can do its small part to improve human-computer interaction nonetheless. Basically a giant trackball that you sit on, the chair is apparently specifically intended for use in public spaces like airports, although we're sure there's a least a few folks out there that'd ditch their non-trackball ball chair for one of these if they were available to the general public -- which, as you might have guessed, they aren't.
"Who are you?"
"The new number 2!"
Personally that looks more like one of the rovers with a new paint job
(insert rover scream here)
rover scream here
Who painted Mork's chair orange?
nevermind... it's not a hollow egg on the other side like I thought.
"Is that a giant trackball under your ass, or are you just happy to see me?"
There's nothing funny about hemerroids........
In Soviet Russia, the blending, Doom-playing overlords welcome you.
wow, your avatar is amazing!
So wtf? you gotta move your ass around?
Ass Ass Revolution!
I smell a new Wii Sports game in the making.
Needs force feedback!
perv.
My butt hurts and I'm not even gay.
10 points to anyone who can make sense of the hyperlinked "article"
Click on the links at the top. There's one named "Backball"
I cant even use an exercise ball without falling of one, how do they want me to sit down on a giant ball and then move around without falling off?
Someone call Leo.
Want!
I am one of those people that lean into racing games and I could so see this chair being implimented into games like those... you know you do it too.
yeah that's all well and good until you make a hard left and go face first on your hardwood floor
This combines the two American pastimes of being lazy and sitting at a computer. Cleaning the pearls that the ball glides on is gonna be nasty, though.
I would hate to see the joystick these people come up with! OUCH!
Unless that's your think, then ride on.
when men use this it will be so gay - reason: balls will be touching
Ah the virtues of pants and boxers.
or boxer briefs if you need that right combo of support and freedom
Alright this has got to be some kind of joke, I mean it's a giant orange ball that you have to move with your butt and it's intended for public use? Someone, Somewhere is probably laughing really hard right now.
I would hate to see the joystick version.
sorry, you fail by 20 minutes
I concede defeat on that one.
The gang at Google office would love those I'll bet. They practically all sit on those huge exercise balls anyway.
hey, at least its not the blueball chair
Reminds me of happy fun ball from SNL, DO NOT LOOK AT HAPPY FUN BALL!
"Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball..."
(One of my favorite SNL commercials)
also, "Happy Fun Ball may stick to certain types of skin."
~Trav
you lazy americans need so many things to sit your a$$ down on ...
obligatory that's what she said
1) This thing worked quite well at the CeBit and nobody fellt down.
2) It was adjusted to small movements so you did not have to shake your ass to much. But we can change that...
3) We used it in public !!
4) We thought about a "Joy-Stick"... certainly not for use in public.
5) I would love to give it force-feedback - good idea.
Things have been around for years...
http://www.amazon.com/FitBall-Exercise-Ball-Chair-Choice/dp/B000CQG1ZA
And if any of you had a back problem, you'd be glad someone thought of it, because they work really well for exercising lower back muscles.
with a ball like that, who needs a boyfriend/girlfriend anymore??!!
Hrm. I thought this was going to be a ball that you sit on that helps your posture while at the desk. That whole 'backball' name seemed to hint that for me. Instead, it's something completely wortheless. Awesome... :-/
actually it does help improving your posture while at the desk..
and some people who work with handicapped persons liked it because these persons need something more stabil than a mouse to control the cursor.. so it is not completely worthless I think
and also when you think about how many mouses aer stolen during the Cebit.. try to steel this
you guys aren't into correct spelling so much, huh?
sit on it and spin.
No, thanks. I have already taken to controlling my mouse with my ass flaps. It's not as difficult as it sounds, and you certainly don't need some new fangled chair to make it happen.
Looked like the ad of discover card at the first glance to me
could be cool for a ski game..