London - It might look like a bizarre Wallace and Gromit contraption.
But the makers of a new "wearable chair" claim it can solve such problems as the struggle to find a seat on a packed commuter train.
The device is made of two foldable "space-grade" aluminium legs that are strapped to the buttocks with a harness fastened around the waist and thighs.
When you want to use it, you simply unfold the legs behind you and lower yourself into a seat they form with the back of the harness.
The Lex chair’s makers claim it is designed to place the user in a perfect sitting posture.
It can also be used in a standing position to help carry a backpack by attaching to the luggage to take some of the load off the spine and into the hips.
The chair, which comes in blue and red, weighs only 1kg but has been built to withstand weights of up to 120kg.
Created by Singaporean technology company Astride Bionix, the chair costs £321 (about R5 900) and is being sold via crowdfunding websites that helped raise money to develop it.
While it might look like a new take on the traditional shooting stick, it is described by its makers as a "bionic exoskeleton".
Astride Bionix claims the chair "automatically adjusts your sitting posture… to create a natural resting position – this position helps relax the muscles, encourage easy breathing and relieves pressure on the stomach".
It is not known how many have been sold, but its fans will be hard to miss with aluminium legs strapped to their bottoms.