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DRM Chair Self-Destructs After 8 Uses

Posted by samzenpus on from the collapsing-comfort dept.

unts writes "Taking DRM further than it's gone before, a group of designers have built a DRM'd chair that will melt its own joints and destroy itself after 8 uses. The chair uses an Arduino and sensors to monitor the number of uses, then triggers the melting of a set of joints that hold it together, making the product unusable without some carpentry skills. The video of device at work is both amusing and a little disconcerting."

31 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. This might be... by fyngyrz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...excellent for congress.

    --
    I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
    1. Re:This might be... by splutty · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think in congress you might want to melt the occupants after 8 uses, not the chair.

      --
      Coz eternity my friend, is a long *ing time.
    2. Re:This might be... by confused+one · · Score: 5, Funny

      They'd have to be in attendance for this to be of any use.

    3. Re:This might be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's longer than chairs last at Microsoft

    4. Re:This might be... by TheRaven64 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Is it just me, or was the best bit about that the fact that he was described by the subtitle as the chairperson?

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    5. Re:This might be... by Hal_Porter · · Score: 3, Funny

      Meanwhile in Congress

      ...excellent for Facebook.

      I think for Facebook you might want to melt the occupants after 8 uses, not the chair.

      Damn, someone ask the intern where the green button is!

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    6. Re:This might be... by Alien+Being · · Score: 4, Funny

      Nah, they'll just turn them upside-down. Hey, on second thought ...

  2. Neat video and concept to prove a point by hsmith · · Score: 4, Funny

    But were the hipsters necessary?

    1. Re:Neat video and concept to prove a point by Joce640k · · Score: 3, Informative

      They weren't hipsters, they were Swiss.

      --
      No sig today...
    2. Re:Neat video and concept to prove a point by OakDragon · · Score: 4, Funny

      They weren't hipsters, they were Swiss.

      So, Swipsters?

      --
      Dark Reflection
  3. Sounds familiar. by splutty · · Score: 5, Funny

    At least we can be sure that Ikea isn't interested, since their chair already do that by default.

    (And I had a good laugh about the article :)

    --
    Coz eternity my friend, is a long *ing time.
    1. Re:Sounds familiar. by NewWorldDan · · Score: 5, Funny

      Great. Now buying a pair of wire cutters at the hardware store will be a violation of the DMCA (if it wasn't already).

  4. That's not DRM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is not DRM; it is product-life expiration. DRM would be if the chair had GPS and would melt itself if moved further than 200ft from its location of first use.

    1. Re:That's not DRM by JeanCroix · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Or to charge a micropayment for each sitting.

    2. Re:That's not DRM by onyxruby · · Score: 4, Insightful

      DRM is properly thought of as Digital Restrictions Management, instead of Digital Rights Management. A good example of a previous DRM that implemented something like this is the limited edition DVD like disks that were being several years back. They were pushed by Disney and called Flexplay and only made for a couple years.

      Remember DRM is all about restricting how something is used, even if that restriction requires the destruction of the devices. Many tamper resistant crypto chips will self destruct instead of letting a user access their data without restriction.

    3. Re:That's not DRM by BorgDrone · · Score: 5, Interesting

      This could be applied to anything. Imagine if the whole world worked like the content mafia does and people don't get paid for the work they do but every time the result of that work is used.

      You don't pay the plumber for the hours he worked, you pay a little for every time you sit on the toilet, every time you flush, etc. You don't pay the guy who tiled your kitchen, instead there's a micro transaction for every tile you step on. Couch in the living room ? Few cents every time you sit down.

      And if your grandfather used to be a plumber, you'll get paid for his work until 90 years after his death.

      Brilliant!

    4. Re:That's not DRM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      "you pay a little for every time you sit on the toilet"

      shitcoin?

    5. Re:That's not DRM by JeanCroix · · Score: 3, Funny

      And if your grandfather used to be a plumber, you'll get paid for his work until 90 years after his death.

      Brilliant!

      Egad man, as long as any of our previous three generations worked at all, we're all multi-millionaires! DRM has eliminated poverty!

    6. Re:That's not DRM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      That's designed to prevent door/window leaks. The idea was that the water would run down the tube and out an open hole to below the car. Modern cars can still have similar tubes; my car has 4 of them - one for each corner of the sunroof.

    7. Re:That's not DRM by Hatta · · Score: 4, Informative

      This is not DRM; it is product-life expiration.

      The life of a DRM'd product artificially expires once the DRM servers are taken down. Product-life expiration is a feature of every DRM system.

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      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    8. Re:That's not DRM by Jessified · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I'm a lifeguard, can I apply for royalties of the future earnings of every person I save? Same should apply for doctors/nurses/paramedics etc.

      Getting paid repeatedly for the same work is fun!!1!!

  5. But what is the mission by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Should I decide to accept it?

    1. Re:But what is the mission by bobbied · · Score: 4, Funny

      You better sit down for this...... Oh wait....

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  6. Conference room chairs .... by PPH · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... that time out after too long of a meeting.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
    1. Re:Conference room chairs .... by Jessified · · Score: 3, Funny

      YESSSSSS!!!!! shut up and take my money!!!!

  7. Re:Nothing new... by Kinwolf · · Score: 5, Funny

    If they've been around for years, then their system obviously failed ;)

  8. How's this DRM? by bobbied · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Digital Rights Management?

    There isn't anything "digital" about a chair that needs rights management. You cannot use a chair multiple times by making a digital copy of it, nor can you transfer a digital copy of your chair to your friend. In fact the ability to use a chair requires that you physically have it. Now if this "rights management" somehow prevented you from making a *copy* of the chair, then it might be some kind of example, but it's certainly NOT an example of DRM.

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    1. Re:How's this DRM? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And it's a good metaphor for DRM. It costs more to make, because this chair has a microprocessor. That cost gets passed on to the consumer, yet makes the product less valuable to them.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  9. Re:!DRM by drinkypoo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is called Planned Obsolescence

    No, this is Programmed obsolescence. Planned obsolescence depends on statistics. This is much more reliable, and should really help with the spreadsheets.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  10. One Question? by craznar · · Score: 3, Insightful

    WHY?

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  11. You wouldn't? by jforr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You wouldn't download a movie that falls apart after 8 uses would you?