# Stress-Measuring Chairs The R18 Ultra Chair has Same Design Method as Audi's Race Cars By Sarah Robson | Published 2012-05-11 | Autos Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/race-car-chair-r18-ultra-chair References: [fastcodesign](http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669707/a-crowdsourced-chair-built-using-data-from-thousands-of-butts) & [r18ultrachair](http://r18ultrachair.com/r18_ultra_chair) The R18 Ultra chair is a race car-inspired chair designed to find the key to ultimate comfort. German Designers Kram and Weisshaar have been testing their prototype in [Audi's](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/q9) research labs to create the most efficient structure for this chair. The result is a seat with sensors in the legs, seat and back that track stress analysis; the feedback is then sent to a Mac Pro. The chair was tested this year at the [Salone Internazionale del Mobile](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/living-collection) in Milan. Thousands of people tested out the product and this data was completely recorded by the monitors. The legs of the chair are made from carbon-fibre and aluminum, just like the Audi race cars, which are tested the same way. This product will be released at [Design Miami](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-flap-chair) sometime this year, and is sure to take off with its new insights. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.7/10 - Popularity: 43% | Activity: 30% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Autos](https://www.trendhunter.com/autos) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Stress-tracking Furniture:** Opportunities for disruptive innovation include developing furniture with stress sensors and data tracking capabilities. - **Race Car-inspired Design:** Opportunities for disruptive innovation include applying design methods used in race cars to create new products. - **Incorporating Sensor Technology:** Opportunities for disruptive innovation include adding sensors to a variety of products to track user data and improve functionality. ### Who This Affects Most - **Furniture:** Furniture companies can disrupt the market by incorporating stress sensors and data tracking technology into their products. - **Automotive:** Automotive companies can apply the design methods used in their race cars to create new products in other industries. - **Technology:** Technology companies can disrupt various industries by adding sensors to products and analyzing user data for insights and improvements. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Ergonomic Quad-Layer Chair Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/autonomous-ergochair-ultra-2.md) - [Supercar-Inspired Lounge Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/prova-mo53-lounge.md) - [Driver Seat-Inspired Office Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mercedesamg-office-chair.md) - [Premium Ergonomic Gaming Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/recaro.md) - [Dynamic Intelligent Office Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dynamic-spinecare.md) - [Carbon Fiber Gaming Seats](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mclaren-monocell-edition.md) - [Collaborative Racing Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/enki-pro-automobili-lamborghini.md) - [Ergonomic Luxe Comfortable Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lounge-chair-1.md) - [Performance-Driven Ergonomic Office Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ergonomic-office-chair2.md)