GREEN BAY – Contract furniture manufacturer KI will debut Cognetic Technology, a platform that the company says will redefine workplace seating through a new category focused on human performance.

The company plans to debut the technology during Fulton Market Design Days, June 8-10 in Chicago.

The technology will make its full public appearance inside the new KI Inspiration Center at 1045 W. Fulton Street, 8th floor, marking the company’s first year participating in Design Days after five decades exhibiting at NeoCon at The Mart.

“Fulton Market has quickly become one of the most important destinations for design innovation and dialogue,” said Tony Besasie, chief sales and marketing officer at KI. “For us, this move is about more than a new address. It’s a strategic investment in being part of a community where ideas, experimentation, and the future of work are actively taking shape.”

Cognetic technology: Innovation you have to feel

At Design Days, KI will introduce Cognetic Technology, a patented innovation invented by Aaron DeJule that fundamentally expands how seating is designed, experienced, and evaluated.

Workplace seating has traditionally focused almost exclusively on ergonomics—comfort, posture, movement, and muscle exertion. Cognetic Technology builds upon these established ergonomic principles while also introducing two entirely new dimensions to seating design:

• Neuro/Cognitive Performance: focus, processing, and mental clarity
• Physical/Physiological Impact: stress response, wellness, and how the body adapts over time
   

Together, these dimensions establish a new category: human performance seating, an evolution beyond just ergonomic support into a system designed to support how people move, think, focus, and perform throughout the day.

“For decades, seating has asked the body to adapt to the chair,” said DeJule. “With Cognetic Technology, I reversed that relationship. It works with gravity and natural movement, allowing the body to find balance on its own. Whether you’re working, collaborating, or relaxing, the feeling is seamless, effortless, intuitive, and aligns with how the body actually wants to move.”

Cognetic Technology represents a disruptive shift within the seating industry, from static support to responsive human performance systems.

“People shouldn’t have to think about how to sit,” said Besasie. “Cognetic Technology creates a sense of balance that happens almost unconsciously. It allows the seating experience to respond to the user, rather than forcing the user to constantly manage the chair.”

Controlled studies associated with Cognetic Technology demonstrated measurable outcomes across wellness, cognition, and comfort, including up to a 30% reduction in anxiety, improved cognitive performance and processing during seated work, improved comfort through the lower back and pelvis, and reduced effects commonly associated with prolonged sitting, including stiffness, discomfort, and fatigue.

“These findings matter because the reality of work today is that we spend more time seated than ever before,” said Besasie. “Cognetic Technology is designed to counteract the effects of a sedentary day by working with the body’s natural rhythm. It provides the essential movement and support required to keep a person comfortable and engaged even during long stretches of focus.”

Visitors to the KI Inspiration Center will have the opportunity to experience Cognetic Technology firsthand during Design Days. KI will also have a presence at street level outside the building, featuring interactive product activations.