(Newswire.net — October 27, 2019) — In the latest round of viral crowdfunding, we heard all about John Fiorentino’s new project. Last time, Fiorentino gained Internet fame for forging a path to inventing the Gravity Blanket, a weighted material designed to give a pleasing sensation of pressure for those afflicted with autism. This time around, it was the re-invention of the beanbag chair, christened with the space-age name of Moon Pod.
But before we discuss this curious gray lump and why it’s revolutionizing the living room, we should note that Moon Pod isn’t even the most recent development. Apparently there was just enough gas left in the crowdfunding tank to launch a supplementary product, the Crescent. This is a U-shaped cushion molded from the same material as the Moon Pod, used as an accessory to snuggle around the neck and shoulders in conjunction with the Moon Pod, or as a stand-alone shaped pillow to use with any other furniture.
Yes, it’s all that.
Now for that Moon Pod: at this current writing, it costs several hundred dollars and comes in a muted gray shade. It’s shaped about like a jelly bean and stands about four feet tall, but is capable of bending into all kinds of flexible shapes for sitting, reclining, or lying down. A lot of Internet commentary has been skeptical as to whether this souped-up furniture is worth the cost. So I had to check it out, brandishing my trusty debit card to place an online order.
Well, I’d like to confirm that it is mostly what it’s hyped up to be. We’ve seen seating fads come and go every decade, including no seating at all when stand-up desks were a thing. We’ve also seen those weird kneeling bench chairs that pepper hip Silicon Valley offices, and we’ve seen the giant medicine balls rolling around turning every coffee break into recess. Moon Pods are a new wave in hyped office furniture, though, and they might be here to stay.
You see, they’re designed to turn into whatever furniture you want them to be, unlike other office seating innovations that force some designer’s idea on how humans are supposed to sit. These high-tech beanbags are made out of a rugged material that supports weight, so it’s not like sitting on a sack of rice, which was the old standard for beanbag furniture. But with that said, Moon Pods take some getting used to because they work differently from other seating.
Positions
First, sitting straight up. For the longest time, office work has been bound to the desktop, but laptops are now powerful enough to handle more tasks, so you really can get by with just typing on your lap. With the Moon Pod standing up, plop into it and let it become a chair around you. This takes some trust. It is solid enough to catch you and supportive enough to hit your back and shoulders in all the right places. Type away!
For reclining, you can accomplish this two ways: Start from the sitting position and then just lean back. The whole unit cups your body, letting you dig into that neck support. Or try for the same dive that got you sitting up, but more leaned back. This takes a little practice, but it’s a cool move once you master it. The Moon Pod is much firmer than it looks, and it’s roomy enough for most body shapes. This is what we call the “Netflix and chill” position.
For lying down, the Moon Pod is a little short to be treated like a full bed. Unless you’re very short, you’ll likely settle into it lying down with your legs kicked up at the end. Once you try it, you’ll notice that the human body seems designed to naturally nap this way. Very little of it goes underneath your hips when lying down, reserving most of it for your torso.
Finally, there’s the belly flop. This is the same as lying down, but stomach-down, the way you’d read a book placed on the floor at the end of a bed. You can sink right into the Moon Pod this way, so it conforms to your body shape while supporting you enough for chin-down phone browsing. It really is more like a giant, flexible body pillow, so you can wriggle it into any other shape as you invent new reading positions.
So far, I haven’t tried the Crescent yet, but the Moon Pod has taken a few days of endurance lounging and passed muster as an ergonomic seating unit that’s like a cross between Silly Putty and a Laz-E-Boy.