8 Of The Coolest Office Chairs With Built-In Technology

These days, a lot of jobs have transitioned from manual labor to desk work. As a result, an increasing proportion of people spend a significant portion of their days sitting down. In fact, the average American spends 13 hours a day in a chair, according to the University of Arizona Health Sciences department. Of course, the best thing you can do for your health is limit the amount of time you spend sitting, or at least take breaks to stand up and walk around for a bit.

Still, depending on how you spend your days, you might simply move from one chair to another, day after day. With that in mind, finding the right chair becomes increasingly important. Of course, the right chair varies from person to person, depending on your body, workspace, and work habits.

While gaming chairs regularly feature technological integration to better immerse players in the game environment, even the best desk chairs and office chairs have historically lacked most of the cooler technological features. It seems that's beginning to change. As the latest phase of office chairs has begun adding motors, ports, and other electronic components, the lines between gaming chairs, office chairs, and general purpose chairs are beginning to blur. While that can make shopping confusing for consumers, it also means there are some incredible office chairs designed to make sitting as comfortable as possible.

The padded Ergonix office chair retails for $449.99 and sits atop a set of five castor wheels so you can roll it easily around your office. The seat height is about 20 inches above the ground but is adjustable between 19.27 and 22.4 inches. It's also capable of spinning 360 degrees, with an upper weight limit of 350 pounds.

Its best features, however, revolve around maximizing comfort while you're seated. If you're prone to back pain and carry a heating pad around with you, this chair simplifies your set up with built-in heating. The heating function is built into the lower back of the chair, alongside a couple of massage points. With a built-in timer, you can apply heat and/or massage for 15 minutes at a time. It's worth noting that while this chair features massage functions, they are limited. If massage is your primary desire, there are better chairs.

Separate levers control the recline and height adjustments, allowing you to modify the setup of the chair to your preferences. A retractable footrest lets you put your feet up while you're working or on a break. The chair's upholstery features oil and water resistant leather, covering a padded seat, armrests, and headrests, along with a pillow cushion for extra lumbar support.

The Van Massage Office Chair can adjust its angle between 90 and 155 degrees, allowing you to keep upright and alert or kick back for a mid-day rest. It's ergonomically designed, with seat back, and integrated headrest following the typical curvature of the human spine, encouraging better posture and improving comfort during long work sessions.

The stainless steel frame provides plenty of structural support and there's padding made of high-density foam on the seat, backrest, headrest, armrests, and built-in footrest. The entire chair is then wrapped in leather for a professional finish.

Tucked inside the chair, you'll find a total of nine massage points: two in the seat, six in the seat back, and one in the headrest. You can select from nine different massage modes with three levels of intensity, using the included remote control. It's a high-end chair which retails for $945.00, down from an original cost of $1,245, but it's the sort of chair you might not mind sitting in all day. Especially with the built-in massage features.

The X Rocker Rogue 2.0 Bluetooth Rechargeable Gaming Chair is the perfect example of the gray area growing between dedicated gaming chair and ordinary office chairs. It's marketed as a gaming chair, as its name implies, but that's really only because of the built-in speakers. It's otherwise a fairly typical bare bones office chair.

The padding is better than an entry-level chair but not as robust as a high-end office chair. It sits on five castor wheels for easy rolling and you can adjust both the seat height and recline angle. The seat, back, and armrests are upholstered with artificial leather cushions and the whole thing retails for $495.95. What really makes the chair worth considering are the 2.0 Bluetooth speakers built into the chair near the headrest.

The speakers draw power from built-in lithium-ion batteries and can run for about 4 hours on a full charge. Of course, depending on your office setup, you could leave the chair plugged in so you never run out of battery. Whether you're playing games, watching movies, running conference calls, or cranking up the tunes while you finish your spreadsheets, this chair puts you right inside the soundscape.

The Eurotech Powerfit office chair is subtly high-tech, blending in with the sort of entry level stock chairs you'll find by the hundreds inside a call center, but with some interesting mechanics hidden inside. Most notably, a set of sensors which connect to a smartphone app via Bluetooth.

You can choose fabric and mesh colors in black, blue, or gray. The mesh back adjusts to your body for added comfort and you can adjust the armrests and seat angle. The seat cushion is pressure sensitive, with built-in sensors that allow the seat to adjust itself and help you maintain good posture while sitting. The sensor data also feeds into the smartphone app, tracking your habits, and giving you data over time. You can even set up push notifications to encourage you to take breaks and maintain healthier work habits.

It's worth noting that the standard version lacks a head rest, but you can add one for an additional $40. However, if you're a data driven person who likes to quantify their work habits and health data and you're looking for more data points than a smart watch or fitness tracker can provide, this chair might be a good addition to your proverbial tool kit.

The Reclining Executive office chair typically retails for $399.99, but it's deeply discounted at the time of writing, with a sticker price of $154.99. It's designed to promote comfort and good posture by mimicking your body's natural shape. Once you're settled in, you can adjust the seat heat between 20 and 23 inches and recline from 90 to 130 degrees.

In addition to adjustable angle and height, this chair has a number of cool features including a retractable footrest, 5-inch thick sponge padding in the seat, backrest, headrest, and armrests. Inside, you'll find heating up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and four massage points with nine modes and three levels of intensity. You can control heating and massage functions using the wired remote control, which slots into an attached fabric holster when not in use.

While all of those features add up to a respectably high-tech chair, it's most notable for its USB charging function. In many cases, USB cords or ports are used only to deliver power to massage and heat functions, but this chair includes the ability to plug in your phone or other mobile devices without breaking your work flow.

The Coast Power Recliner office chair is a high-end chair with features to match. It retails for $1,999 but is on sale for $1,511 at the time of writing. The chair sits atop a five castor wheels, and seat itself is robust, thickly padded and upholstered in gray or black. While the chair looks a little precarious on its five-point stand, it's capable of holding up to 600 pounds.

The armrests are padded in sponge, while the rest of the chair is padded with features and the whole thing is wrapped in leather. A built-in USB port lets you charge your mobile device while having it immediately at hand. Side buttons control the angle while a separate level controls height adjustment. Best of all, this chair has powered reclining functions similar to a La-Z-Boy, allowing you to recline the backrest and adjust the footrest independently. You can recline the chair from an upright 90 degrees to a practically horizontal 170 degrees, allowing you to lie down and take a nap anytime you like.

The IW-320 from Imperator Works is the sort of chair that begs you to never get up. It's a massive zero gravity chair built into a larger structure which supports up to 5 monitors. It's fully customizable, allowing you to adjust everything from chair orientation to monitor distance and angle, keyboard distance, and more. Additional bells and whistles include four built-in USB 3.0 charging ports, overhead lights, and cup holders. Strangely, the only thing missing is any Bluetooth connection or audio features.

Still, it's an objectively high-end chair, the sort of thing you'd expect to sit in right before you jack into the Matrix. The price tag is steep, with an original price tag of $3,499, though it's on sale for $2,649 at the time of writing. The cost is high, but it's more than just a chair, it's an entire work station built into a sprawling futuristic contraption.

Depending on the size and type of monitors at your disposal, you can choose between a single large monitor or up to five smaller monitors, all connected to a curving metal spine which reaches up and over the headrest. It reclines up to 137 degrees with motor controls for the backrest, footrest, and massage functions. The IW-320 is designed to immerse you in work or leisure.

The Altwork Signature Station is an all-in-one workstation which is less visually imposing than some of its competitors and hides plenty of bells and whistles in its subtler design. The workstation arm sprouts from the side of the chair, stretching forward and articulating at multiple points, allowing you to angle the desk and monitors in a wide range of orientations.

The Signature Station retails for a staggering $8,950 and features a padded office chair with powered recline functions, a laptop mount, a cup holder, and room for up to three monitors. You can turn the desk away from the chair and raise its height, turning it into a standing desk. Or you can recline the chair and raise the desk and monitors overhead, thanks to built-in magnets.

The magnetic desk comes with a magnetic mouse pad and will hold up a compatible keyboard, mouse, smartphone, and more, allowing you to work at any orientation, like an astronaut floating in space.