Inada claim that the ROBOSTIC is the most advanced massage chair ever made and you have to take anything Inada produces seriously. Well, the ROBOSTIC is definitely one the most expensive you can buy but can it really be said that it's the best robotic massage chair ever made?
No other massage chair manufacturer in the world has the legacy, technical expertise or dominant position of Inada. It is the number one player in the world's most competitive market place of Japan. Every single major technical advance of massage chairs can be traced to its research and development laboratories in Osaka. The list of it industry 'firsts' says it all.
1971 – First Kneading Mechanism. First Rhythmic Movement Function
1974 – First human touch function of squeeze and press
1979 – First adjustable recline system and spinal roller
1996 – First with four rollers that move in alignment with the body
1998 – First to incorporate airbags
1999 – First to use infrared technology for pressure point detection
2003 – First massage chair that detects body shape and automatically adjusts itself to fit
2004 – First massage chair that synchronizes music with massage
The D.6 ROBOSTIC chair was designed buy the renowned Chiaki Murata – who also designed the console for the X-Box 360 – and it shows. The chair is large and full of gadgets but it manages to combine all the elements together into a harmonious and attractive unit.
The chair also comes with every technical innovation possible today. It has a 3-D roller system; most come with 4-way rollers, which mean they move up and down and sideways on the back but 3-D rollers also push in and out giving you either a deeper or gentler massage. Like all Inada massage chairs it comes with optical acupressure point sensors. It works by scanning your back before the start of a massage and then compares your profile to 100 stored profiles. The chair will then match your profile to the 'best-fit' stored profile to provide you with a totally customized massage.
But these features have already been incorporated into other Inada chairs. What makes this model different is the Joystick Manual Control System. This allows you to customize your massage like never before. Using the joystick you can knead up or down your back simply by pulling the stick up or down; strengthen or soften the massage by pushing or pulling; control the kneading speed by pushing the stick to either side; and fully control the tapping speed of the massage.
All of your actions can be recorded in the memory function, so that your custom settings can be recalled with the push of a button. The program can be altered at any time to suit your current physical needs. The joystick is housed inside the armrest when not in use so it never gets in the way.
No other chair on the market allows this degree of customization to an individual's massage routine.
So, is the Inada ROBSTIC the best robotic massage chair? Well, in terms of technical features it is but that doesn't mean to say it will give what everyone considers to be the best massage.
It's also costs an awful lot of money, retailing for around $ 6,800. Very few could actually afford or justify spending this much, and are the 3-D rollers and the joystick really worth it? Personally I'm not sure if I would ever be prepared to spend that much to customize my massage. If I had that kind of money to spend I'd rather buy the OSIM iSymphonic and the music therapy system that comes with it – a great massage that is synchronized to the music you play, and all for around $ 3,500.