Bodyfriend steals limelight at CES with functional chairs

[Photo by Won Ho-Sup]

South Korea's Bodyfriend Co., the world’s No. 1 massage chair maker, stole limelight with its multi-functional chairs amid absence of the usual big names and jaw-dropping displays at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Heart-checking chair was one drawing long lines for tryouts at the booth of Bodyfriend that joined the world’s largest innovation show for the fifth time this year with nine functional chairs.

Visitors were especially taken with the new products that provided information about the body such as heart condition, body composition, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram.

“Phantom Medical Heart” measures a 6-channel electrocardiogram through four electrodes on both arms and legs. It can also provide disease diagnosis through the AI analysis algorithm.

The “DaVinci” scheduled to be released in the first half of this year can measure body composition. Seven types of information about the user’s body including muscle mass, body fat percentage, and body mass index (BMI) can be analyzed using the body composition measurement technology. Body composition information can then be recorded and saved on a tablet PC that comes with the chair.

"The Pharaoh O2", which won the CES 2022 Innovation Award, has a O2 care function that can supply high concentration of oxygen. Users can inhale high concentrations of oxygen while receiving massages because of the cutting-edge technology that was applied to medical oxygen generators.

‘Elizabeth Medical’, another Bodyfriend product, has blood pressure monitors that calculate blood pressure and it also offers blood pressure treatment massages.

The "Phantom Rovo" is a robot-like massage chair where each leg message part can be independently operated. With this function, users can receive different types of massages on each leg.

Bodyfriend has invested about 80 billion won ($66 million) in research and development (R&D) over the past five years in order to become a digital healthcare robot company. It has plans to invest more than 20 billion won annually for new inventions.

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