This is the most appalling home decorating idea we've ever heard. A Japanese firm is exhibiting some groundbreaking new furniture, which changes colors as it interacts with humans. And guess what? The heavier you are, the darker red your chair becomes! That's right: you too can humiliate your worst enemy at your next dinner party by loudly pointing out that as soon she sat on the chair, it went from yellow to a deep burgundy.
On display at the Siggraph show, the Fuwapica furniture uses sensors embedded in the table-top to work out the colour of items placed upon it.
The colours of the stools then change to match the colour of whatever has been placed on the sensitive table-top.
The stools' sensors work out the weight of anyone sitting on them - heavier people are treated to darker shades.
The circular table acts as the central control point for the four stools. Sensors sit beneath a glass plate on the top of the table and scan any object placed on it.
The sensors bounce red, green and blue light off the objects and record which hues are reflected.
An Apple Mac buried in the table then sends wireless messages to the four stools, which project light through their translucent shells to match, as closely as possible, the colour of the object on the table top.
The colours are also made to pulse lighter and darker at about the same tempo of human breathing in a bid to make the stools seem more life-like.
Placing many objects on the table-top makes the system mix and merge colours to match the shades seen in the collection of artefacts.
The designers suggest that people can change the colour of the chairs to match their mood.
Dreamed up by Shinya Matsuyama and colleagues from the Studio Mongoose design company in Japan, the Fuwapica furniture draws on the country's ancient notions that gods inhabit all manmade objects, be they chopsticks, dishes or tables.
Apparently Shinya Matsuyama believes that the God of Eating Disorders resides in the sofa cushions. This story disturbed us so much that we felt compelled to have a cupcake to calm, our nerves. (But we ate it standing up, so you wouldn't have known if we hadn't told you.) Moral of the story: before you go to a swank cocktail party, discreetly inquire if the hostess is a big fan of Japanese futuristic furniture. If so, you might want to spend the evening standing up.
