BAID — Stockholm

We all sit. We just don’t believe we need to strain our backs for it.

BAID is rethinking sitting by developing a mechanical system that introduces subtle periodic changes in posture — incorporating dynamic sitting effortlessly.

Discover BAID Explore the technology

Sit. Shift. Thrive.

The need

Modern life has made sitting increasingly static.

We sit to work, study, commute, eat and relax. As technology and modern work have reshaped daily life, sitting has become a major part of how we spend our time.

Sources & research

75%

of Europeans spend two thirds of their working day sitting on a chair.

50%

of the working population experiences back pain every year.

628.8M

people suffering from low back pain according to the 2021 Global Burden of Disease database.

Figures are research-backed context drawn from published sources, not claims made by BAID. BAID does not prevent or treat back pain.

What if the problem isn’t simply sitting — but sitting still?

Most conventional ergonomic solutions try to improve the seated position through support, cushioning or optimisation.

BAID explores a different question: what if sitting itself could change?

Our approach

Small shifts. Big relief.

BAID is designed around periodic changes in seated inclination and position.

Instead of keeping the body in one static seated configuration, our concept introduces controlled variation into the chair itself, encouraging the user to adapt to different seated positions.

Short, controlled inclinations occur periodically, altering the seated position of the person on the chair. In doing so, the user engages different muscles across different ranges of motion rather than holding one fixed configuration.

We are not simply trying to make static sitting more comfortable. We are exploring how movement can become part of sitting.

The technology

A mechanical system engineered to introduce controlled movement and postural variation into everyday sitting.

BAID is a device designed to be placed at the bottom of a chair leg.

Four coordinated devices vary in height to create small periodic inclinations of the user’s chair, engaging different back muscles on different motions over time.

BACK WELLNESS MECHANICAL DEVICE
UNIVERSAL CHAIR-LEG INTEGRATION
DYNAMIC SITTING RESEARCH
CONTROLLED PERIODIC INCLINATION

Explore the product

Biomechanics & research

Designed against evidence.

Our development is informed by literature research on prolonged sitting and postural variation, and by musculoskeletal simulation work in OpenSim used to study how changes in seated inclination alter muscular engagement.

Simulation is a design tool, not a clinical claim. It lets us compare inclination magnitude, timing and coordination before committing to hardware.

Research library

Development journey

From idea to product development.

BAID began as an Industrial Design student startup and developed into a more advanced product-development project.

01
Student project
BAID started as an Industrial Design student startup, built around a single observation about everyday sitting.
02
Research
Literature research into prolonged sitting, postural variation and dynamic seating shaped the direction of the concept.
03
Ford acceleration support
BAID is supported by Ford through the Ford Smart Mobility Accelerator Programme.
04
Biomechanical simulations
Musculoskeletal simulation work using OpenSim to study how seated inclination changes affect the body.
05
Intellectual property
The BAID concept is protected through a utility model.
06
Product development
Mechanical design, prototyping and iteration of the chair-leg device architecture.
07
Validation
Ongoing testing to evaluate the system and refine the concept.
08
Bright future
Looking ahead to a society where everyday sitting moves with the body — and back pain is no longer an accepted part of working life.