The Inada RoboChair Massage Chair - Be Afraid, Very Afraid

by Robin OBrien

Robotic massage chairs seem to entering the realms of science-fiction; they look like they belong on the bridge of the starship Enterprise, come with technical gadgets you need a PhD to even begin to use and just look darn scary to me. The Inada RoboChair massage recliner is probably the meanest, scariest mother of them all - a machine that is only for the bravest or foolhardy of souls.

But in all seriousness, the Inada RoboChair is one serious chair and is perhaps the most technically advanced on the market place. This isn't surprising as Inada are the accepted leaders and just about every new advance in this industry came from its laboratory is Osaka, Japan. The history of the robotic massage chair is the history of Inada - or should that be the other way round?

I wasn't kidding when I said the chair scared me. The footrests, arm cuffs and control panel make the chair look as though it was solely constructed as a torture device, but maybe that's what massage is anyway?

When you first sit in the chair you start to feel powerless as your legs and arms are locked down. A feeling of panic sets in as the chair stirs to life, scanning your body with optical sensors. It really does this before each massage; the infrared sensors determine your acupressure points along the length of your back and then compare your profile to 100 stored profiles. The chair matches your profile to the 'best-fit' stored profile to provide you with a totally customized massage. Apparently in order for any chair to be a true shiatsu massage chair it should be able to detect body shape and find your acupressure points and automatically adjust the rollers.

The chair then goes into one of its many routines that are preset or manual - I don't remember which one as I was to busy trying to stay composed in the vice like grip of the chair, a composure that was sorely tested as the chair began to recline.

The massage I received was very robust; not an inch of the length of my body was spared. I was told this was thanks to the Full Contact armrest, Full Contact footrest and Full Contact back.

Anyhow, just after promising myself that I would never, ever sit in a robotic massage chair again, I was told about its voice activated control system. It's what? I said. I was then shown the microphone that is positioned to one side of the headrest; I'd seen the device earlier but I was too afraid to ask what it was. The person demonstrating the chair positioned the microphone in place - my arms were still locked down - and began to explain to me how it worked.

The voice activation system allows you to change various things like the recline angle and roller programs, and activation of the kneading and tapping programs by simple word commands. Incredible! Suddenly, I was the one in charge. The RoboChair wasn't a menacing Rottweiler after all, but a little, fawning lapdog, who obediently obeyed my every command.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing about with the voice control and forgot all about my earlier trepidations, so much so that I thought I would like to buy the Inada massage chair. I was then told its price tag of $7,500. Gosh. Its price was the scariest thing about the RoboChair. I made good my escape.

About the Author

Follow the links for the Inada massage chair or another robotic massage chair like the OSIM shiatsu massage chair.

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Indoor Plants Love LED Grow Lights

by Imran Ali

LED grow lights are a must for any avid indoor plant grower. Indoor plants are usually very sensitive and require careful and controlled indoor lighting. In the world of indoor plant growing, it has long been a standard to light plants with conventional bulbs in well air-conditioned or ventilated rooms. However, with the spread of LED light bulbs into the lighting industry there are now better ways to energize your plants. But what exactly are the advantages of LED grow lights over regular incandescent light bulbs?

Targeted light frequencies

Light is made up of different frequencies, which each produce a certain color depending on the frequency. When you see a rainbow in the sky, it is "white" light being separated into its different frequencies by droplets of moisture in the sky.

Plants absorb only certain frequencies of light, and what it does not need is reflected away. For example, the molecules in leaves does not absorb green light, and so the green light is reflected away which is why we perceive leaves to be green.

LED grow lights are able to emit light that contains only the range of frequencies that plants can absorb. This allows you to use you electricity more efficiently to produce only what you need.

Low heat

Typical plant lights are usually hot. Just like any other incandescent bulb, heat builds up after a while and can be felt even at a distance. This heat is harmful to plants, and can stunt their growth or even kill them if it's too hot. One solution to this is to air-condition the room or add vents to reduce the heat. However, both these methods can be expensive.

With LED grow lights the bulbs will not get hot. At the most, bulbs will become slightly warm to the touch, even after being on for several hours. This is a significant advantage over incandescent bulbs because it allows you to protect your plants from heat and at the same time help you save on electricity.

Low voltage

LED's are low voltage and require less than 20 volts of electricity, which much less than incandescent bulbs. This is another aspect of LED's that can help reduce your electricity costs.

No ballast required

Mounting systems for LED grow lights are usually much lighter than conventional systems. This is because a ballast is usually required for incandescent systems, which is extremely heavy. Furthermore, ballast need to be replaced after some time, which will add to your expenses. With LED grow lights, not requiring a ballast will provide you with a more functional and lighter system, and will save you some extra cash.

Longer life

LED bulbs last considerably longer than regular bulbs. LED bulbs have a life of approximately 100,000 hours. This is almost 50 times longer than conventional light bulbs. Not only that, but regular light bulbs need to be changed even before they die because as the bulb ages the light spectrum changes. With LED bulbs, the light spectrum remains constant throughout their lifetime.

No reflector necessary

For traditional bulbs, light is emitted in all directions. In order to focus the light, a reflector is needed. Reflectors are often bulky and heavy, and will also add on to your expenses. With LED bulbs, the light is already focused in the proper direction, because reflectors are already built into the bulbs themselves.

Knowing these main advantages, it is easy to see why LED grow lights are superior to conventional bulbs. They provide better light, use less electricity, and require less equipment to run. If you are interested in learning more about LED lights, there are many great websites out there that can provide you with all technical information you need.

About the Author

My name is Imran. I am an SEO article writer.

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