What is the du chair?

The du chair is a revolutionary non-electric assistive chair that helps you sit and stand with ease. Its unique mechanism works with your body to create smooth, supported motion. Based on the principle of equipoise, the du chair was developed through a collaboration between inventor Garrett Brown, design studio Clandestine Design, and Ian Reinhardt of RIG Pty Ltd. The design is protected by U.S. Patent No. 12,350,207.

Who created the du chair?

The du chair was developed through a collaborative design approach between American inventor Garrett Brown, Australian design studio Clandestine Design, and Ian Reinhardt, founder of the du chair.

A chair like no other.
em>A story like no other. em>

du is a revolution in chairs. Like all revolutions, it has been a journey of passion and a drive for change.

Change was needed because for decades the electric lift assist chair has been the only real option to help people struggling with stand to sit and sit to stand movements.

du has changed all that. Over seven years this unique idea has been developed and crafted to now take its place as the smarter option in chair technology.

It’s smarter because it works with your body instead of for your body. This is what Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and others in the health and aged care sectors have been advocating for over many years.

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Introducing Equipoise Technology.

The founders of du worked closely with a Hall of Fame inventor to create the innovative mechanism that lives inside each chair.

Garrett Brown, inventor of the STEADICAM® stabiliser for motion pictures such as Rocky, was a key part of creating du. The Equipoise technology he used for STEADICAM® and other inventions was adapted for the du mechnanism, harnessing the same principles of balance, equilibrium and body dynamics.

No other chair in the world can boast the innovative technology of Equipoise.

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The people behind the chair

Ian came to see me because, as the inventors of the STEADICAM®, we know how to lift things elegantly. The only solution that existed before du is these motorised chairs, which are frankly hideous. Ian and I both thought, Wow, we can do a lot better than that.
Garrett Brown, Inventor (STEADICAM®), Cinematographer (Rocky, The Shining, Return of the Jedi), National Inventors Hall of Fame® Inductee and Academy Award winner

When Ian Reinhardt set out to reinvent the lift assist chair, he never imagined the journey would lead him to collaborate with one of Hollywood’s legendary innovators.

After years of experiments, prototypes, and research with Queensland University of Technology — led by Prof. Graham Kerr and Prof. Thea Blackler — Ian’s belief was confirmed: traditional electric lift chairs were bulky, slow, and uninspiring. Worse still, they reduced mobility and independence instead of supporting them.

There had to be a better way.

That thinking led Ian to contact Garrett Brown, the Academy Award-winning inventor and STEADICAM® creator and Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee, renowned for his mastery of lifting with balance and grace. Recognising a shared vision to challenge the status quo, Ian and Garrett developed the du chair’s unique lift-and-sit mechanism — enabling people to sit and stand smoothly, in real time. No cords. No electricity. No fuss.

To ensure the chair was as beautiful as it was functional, Ian partnered with Neil Davidson of Clandestine Design Group, an award-winning industrial designer. Together, they created the du chair — a chair that blends elegant design with life-changing functionality.

Today, the du chair is celebrated globally, winning honours from Good Design Australia and the German Good Design Awards. It’s more than just a chair — it’s a revolution in independent living furniture.

Meet the du founder

Getting in and out of a chair for those who can easily do it is not an issue. For those who can't, it's one of the main problems that people face in the home environment, and something we've been really passionate about trying to solve for some time. We believe the du chair solves this problem uniquely and elegantly.
Ian Reinhardt, Inventor of the du chair

Ian Reinhardt has worked in furniture pretty much his whole life, coming from a family steeped in furniture production and distribution.

His pedigree in furniture is matched by his passion for solving problems. It became increasingly apparent to him that there was a glaring need for a product that could better solve the stand-to-sit and sit-to-stand movements, particularly for our ageing population.

Like many innovative products, it took Ian many attempts and time to drawing board to realise his dream of du. Throughout the production of various prototypes, Ian worked closely with university research teams and therapists to better understand the nature of the issue that du would ultimately solve.