From Adjustments to Adaptation: How LiberNovo Achieves Effortless Comfort

Adjustability has long been the accepted standard for whether an ergonomic chair is 'good' or not. Most think having more options for adjusting your chair (more dials/knobs/preset options) is the way to go. And technically, this makes sense. However, it falls short of providing support the way we need it. Adjustments are great, but if you're constantly adjusting them, you're brekaing focus, or sacrificing comfort for the sake of staying on task.

Adaptive Support takes adjustments, and makes them more intuitive. You adjust your chair once, after that, it supports you automatically, even when you want to sit a little different.

The LiberNovo Omni was built to be more than just an adjustable office chair. The design solves a fundamental issue. A static support system will never be able to support a dynamic body. True comfort comes from the ability to continuously match the needs of the user's body, not from a single adjustment. The upgrade from adjustable to adaptive is the key to overcoming limitations of traditional static ergonomic, in this article, we'll explain how.

Why Static Sitting Fails at the Mechanical Level

Static sitting does not fail because posture looks wrong. It fails because the same tissues carry load for too long.

Research in Applied Ergonomics conducted a controlled study to find out that lumbar muscle stiffness was shown to increase dramatically with an interruption of sitting for 4.5 hours, regardless of the position (posture) maintained during that period. This muscle fatigue occurs due to sustained low levels of muscle activation which impairs the relaxation of the soft tissues thereby causing fatigue and discomfort before structural damage to the musculoskeletal system has occurred from poor posture.

In follow up studies published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, the introduction of short periods of low intensity muscle activation during long periods of sitting resulted in significant reductions in the accumulation of muscle stiffness. Low level forces distributed throughout the musculature were able to reduce mechanical fatigue.

Fixed seating systems cannot provide this variation. As posture subtly shifts, pressure concentrates around the lumbar spine and pelvis instead of redistributing. The National Institutes of Health describes this as cumulative load, where low forces applied continuously are more fatiguing than higher forces applied intermittently.

Compounding the issue, posture itself is not stable. Research shows seated posture naturally drifts over time, even when users are instructed to maintain ergonomic positions. Static support assumes consistency where none exists.

The outcome is predictable. Static support cannot remain effective in a moving body. Adjustable office chairs may improve alignment briefly, but as posture changes, support no longer matches the forces acting through the spine. Muscles compensate. Fatigue accumulates. Comfort fades.

Adjustable Does Not Mean Adaptive

An adjustable office chair has manually adjustable parts which can be changed by the user to their desired positions: seat height. The lumbar curve depth. Armrest positions. Tilt angle. These settings are then locked into place until the user stops using the chair and makes another adjustment.

This system makes a couple of assumptions. The first assumption made is that one best sitting position exists for each person. The second assumption made is that this sitting position will be maintained by the individual throughout their time spent sitting.

Neither of these assumptions are correct.

Continuous adaptation occurs when adaptive support responds to continuous posture changes. Continuous adaptive responses maintain the body's alignment during movement, rather than locking the supportive structures in place, waiting for you to put them where they need to be.

Most posture breakdowns occur when the body is shifting between established postures, or when you decide to leave your support behind because it's too much of a nuisance to keep adjusting. It's normal, but if you work in a chair, the stress on your body can compound over time.

How Adaptive Support Works Across the Entire Chair

Dynamic Ergonomics does not include additional setting options for adaptive support. Rather, it involves eliminating support gaps by coordinating all contact points based on the body's posture movement, automatically.

The LiberNovo Omni implements Dynamic Ergonomics to adjust how its four major contact points (neck, armrests, flexfit backrest and seat) respond to posture adjustments to maintain overall postural alignment.

As you recline and move the seat, the armrests also adjust their position to keep them at an optimal height and distance away from your torso. By doing so, they eliminate any upward or downward motion in your shoulders as you move into different postures, thus reducing the stress in your upper back and shoulders.

The Bionic FlexFit Backrest adjusts itself to follow the curves of your spine while providing for micro-adjustments. As your body shifts your weight, it maintains even contact along your backside from hip to shoulder to prevent sudden increases in pressure, thereby reducing the amount of work your muscles do to stabilize your body.

Adjusting the Seat Angle in conjunction with the Backrest Angle maintains pelvic stability as you adjust your posture. Pelvic instability can cause you to slide forward, increase shear force on your hips and disrupt your spinal alignment. The dynamic adjustment of seat angle eliminates the need to force a specific sitting position and provides support regardless of your posture.

Collectively, the individual parts of this system function together. Support is continuous, stable, and well-balanced as you continually adjust your posture throughout the day.

Comfort That Holds Across the Day

Comfort should be maintained regardless of your position, the task you are performing or how much energy you have available. The LiberNovo Omni provides the same level of comfort and support in each of the typical postures and recovery positions you may find yourself in during a workday.

• 105° Deep Focus Maintains an upright position for concentration while keeping the spine in balance and providing complete contact with the entire length of the back.
• 120° Solo-Work Reduces spinal stress during long periods of concentration without losing either your posture or support.
• 135° Soft Recline Provides comfortable sitting by allowing relaxation while maintaining continuous contact between the chair and your back.
• 160° Spine Flow Permits deep decompression while supporting alignment and structure to maintain support of your spine.

Adaptation is continuous so support will remain constant regardless of the position you place yourself into. Therefore you don't control the chair; the chair controls the support it provides.

Sit With Less Effort

You shouldn't have to discipline yourself for the sake of being comfortable. You feel it in the design of your products, or better yet, you should just feel comfortable in a way that's unnoticeable.

LiberNovo doesn’t use the traditional methods of ergonomic adjustments. Instead, we designed a new solution: dynamic support that moves with you; Providing a feeling of consistent comfort, and keeping your body’s alignment in place with minimal effort.

Explore the LiberNovo Omni and discover how Dynamic Ergonomics can provide adaptive support through long work days.