Bridgestone, the global tyre manufacturer, has developed a wellness concept with beds using soft, artificial 'muscles', powered by air, which envelop people and use haptic technology to replicate natural movements.

Bridgestone spent 40 years developing the flexible and movable 'muscle' device, which is called Morph.

The breathing of an elephant, the wings of a flying bird or the ebb and flow of the tides are converted into data via video extraction and then programmed into the muscles and played back.

The company has hosted a series of four pop-ups around Tokyo – called ‘Morph Inns’ – using the beds, with a view to entering the wellness and robotics sector.

Bridgestone’s in-house start-up division, Bridgestone Softrobotics Ventures (BSV), partnered with Zen monk Toryo Ito and creator group Konel to create the pop-ups, allowing consumers to "reconnect with themselves in a profound and authentic way".

The concept for the Morph Inns was to provide guests with “time to do nothing” in a new relaxation experience, designed to be a modern meditative alternative to sauna culture.

Attendees surrendered themselves to the soft robot-powered experience and practised being present – focusing on “nothing before”, “nothing during” and “nothing after”.

The experience is amplified by a combination of visual, auditory and olfactory effects.

During the pop-ups, music designed to enhance theta and gamma brainwaves was played to guests via an app called VIE Tunes.

A projector displayed a scene from the Japanese Sakhalin Fir forest in Kushiro on the island of Hokkaido to provide a forest bathing sanctuary. Music using forest sounds was played and the woodsy scents were dispersed throughout the installation.

Drinks formulated to relax and refresh guests were provided by pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare Co and manufactured by Fine Corporation.

A Japanese plant research institute provided a beverage made by distilling and processing wild and fragrant trees was also on offer.

An art collective called Ochill provided a shisha-like smoking experience called “Chaka”. The smoking used only Japanese tea leaves and not tobacco.

Ochil engages in creative endeavours that reinterpret common concepts associated with luxury, including "wellbeing".

Instead of viewing optimum wellbeing as a state of being physically, mentally and socially fulfilled, Ochill’s practitioners see it as a state of being that strains people to become something they are not.

The alternative is the collective’s preferred interpretation of wellbeing, called “well-down”. This involves relaxing into being your natural self, slowing down and being content with yourself.

"Our Morph Inns combine robotic technology, Zen-inspired principles and spatial design to create a space for relaxation and mindfulness," said Masahiro Yamaguchi, founding member and principal of BSV.

BSV plans to roll the device out.

Softrobotics

The softrobotics company has several other uses for its rubber artificial muscles.

Machines composed of rubber tube covered with a high-strength fibre sleeve can be used in many contexts with the application of hydraulic hoses.

For example, robots required in manufacturing or warehouse distribution centres require soft, flexible and dextrous hands to grasp items. This is the case in food factories too.