BMW's New Rival Rig Gaming Chair Incorporates Climate Control And Massaging Options

The realism of today's racing games is astounding. Photorealistic graphics, accurate auto models, and true-to-life driving physics are featured in games like Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport, Project CARS, and Assetto Corsa. They allow you to achieve your dreams of driving a high-performance supercar from the comfort of your own home.

You'll need a racing wheel and a driving seat if you want the most immersive experience imaginable. Aston Martin sells a racing simulator based on the Valkyrie hypercar, but it's nowhere near as advanced as BMW's 'Rival Rig,' a revolutionary racing seat design. The Rival Rig, created by BMW Group's Designworks, comes with a slew of luxury features aimed at improving the user's comfort and general wellbeing during long online eSports play sessions.

An Adaptive Seating system analyzes the player's movements and adjusts the seating posture accordingly to relieve stress using a combination of AI sensors, pneumatic air pads, and electromechanical actuators. For instance, if the gamer's arms are under too much stress, the armrests will automatically drop. A Microclimate Control System will send cold air to cool the gamer down if it finds that their body temperature is too high. There's also a massage feature to help gamers unwind after a long virtual race. Selectable settings adjust the seat to different postures: easy mode promotes a relaxing posture, whereas boost mode pushes the seat forward and is intended for long gaming sessions.

The Rival Rig's design is inspired by Formula One vehicles and spacecraft, and it has several LED lights that reflect what's going on in the game.

"More than almost any other initiative prior, the Rival Rig by BMW and Rivalworks was about pushing the limits of human potential," said Holger Hampf, President of Designworks. "What we aimed for was a gaming rig design that pushed the boundaries of technology and aesthetics in this industry. Our goal was to develop the most comfortable seating, hand posture, and head movement environment possible, allowing the player to fully immerse herself or himself and feel weightless. Working on a project like this is a once in a lifetime chance for a designer because we were able to push technology to its limits."

For the time being, the Rival Rig is simply a fancy design concept, but the design is open source, so it might be improved and made a reality by a third-party firm, which we hope happens.