Lumptronic Furniture

We are all familiar with the disadvantages of conventional furniture: it can be difficult to move, it gets in the way if you want to do the hoovering, you trip over it in the night etc.

Imagine, then, a spacious living room. The only distinguishing features of this room so far as you can see is that the carpet is rather loose-fitting and there is a large remote control in the centre.

You pick up the remote control and press a button with a picture of what looks like a large table. A cheery whistling sound hails you from the left corner of the room, but there's nothing there! Puzzled, you start to manipulate what seem to be directional controls on the remote and you see the faint outline of something moving under the carpet. Starting to catch on, you manoeuvre the outline so it is just in front of you. Pressing the elevation control, you find you are able to control the height of the flat surface that rises from the carpet.

Starting again, you select another Lumptronic, this one a large inflatable that replaces a conventional sofa. As before, you guide it into place using the remote. Using the inflation controls, you adjust the Lumptronic sofa until it's comfortable to recline upon. You stretch out on the comfy balloon and begin to direct the rest of your lounge into place.

Besides manipulating individual Lumptronics by remote control, you can also use the wireless networking function that links them all to engage preset configurations such as:

"Standard" - Your favourite everyday configuration.

"Flat" - For hoovering, or playing bowls.

"Party" Seating lumps around the edge, tables for snacks in the middle.

"Extended Absence" - Lumptronics flatten/deflate and engage pressure sensors. If stepped on more than once with a pressure greater than a user-defined value - this allows users to adjust for the weight of any household pets that might still be hanging around - the Lumptronics automatically contact the police.

"Recharge" - Lumptronics return to docking stations where they can recharge the onboard batteries used to power the small wheels that move them around.