Ukrainian born designer, Igor Gitelstain, lives and works in Israel. Igor graduated in Industrial Design at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan. He studied various fields of Industrial Design, covering different design approaches, 3D computer modeling, technical drawing and the production process. “The most important thing for me right now is to find my place in the world of design.
I want to be a designer for the real world who solves real problems for real people. Igor’s recent project is a human powered electric generator rocking chair or also known as the Otarky Rocking Chair. The concept is the design and production of products which return the energy used to produce the very same products. The chair generates electricity during the rocking motion. When someone sits in the chair and rocks, a magnet slides along a copper coil within the base of the chair.
As the magnet moves forward and back based on the movements of the person sitting in the chair, a current is generated. That current can be sent into a large battery to store the energy or hypothetically charge up an electronic device like a smartphone or a laptop. Igor specifically designed the Ortarky Chair to hide the fact that it generates electricity.
The only indication that the chair does providea source of energy is the power plug outlet located at the rear of the chair. The modern design of the chair uses laminate wood for the main seating area, white padding upholstery for comfort when sitting and brushed metal legs to hide the copper coil inductor.
When asked about the design, Gitelstain stated “If the chair gets produced on an industrial scale, I’d like people to buy it not only because of the electricity, but because of its looks and comfort.” Igor Gitelstains’ vision for the future of household products include a function of returning the energy that was invested in their creation, beyond their conventional and aesthetic uses.
The energy that the chair produces will join other renewable electricity generators within the household, such as solar panels and wind turbines. The idea is that the consumers can provide for their own energy needs.
www.igorgitelstain.me
