A Peek Under the Hood of the Plane™

Think about it: how often do you end up moving around while you’re binge-watching that new Netflix series or scrolling through an endless Twitter feed on your iPad? (Sorry, getting up off the couch for a snack refill doesn’t count.) Whether it’s from our own experience or from emerging research, we’re all learning that the average American spends far too long in front of a screen—more than 10 hours a day. Unfortunately, most of that time is spent sitting or sedentary. That’s where the new Plane™ comes in.

We’d already designed the Level® and Original as movement solutions for when you’re at work in front of your computer, so we wanted to create a deck that would be suitable for use anywhere, in front of any screen, while still embodying our brand value of sustainable, beautiful design. The Plane™ lands at $189 with a compact footprint of 24 inches, but it still boasts the same 360-degree motion as all of our FluidStance® decks.

The body is meant to move in three dimensions. The Plane allows for a safe increase in range of motion compared to merely standing.

“Our goal is to set the world in motion and activate the time we spend in front of a screen—whether you’re watching TV or gaming on your Xbox or PlayStation,” says FluidStance Founder and CEO Joel Heath. “We’ve even seen our users on the Plane in the kitchen, while lifting weights, playing an instrument, doing yoga—the possibilities for improving your balance and adding movement to your lifestyle are endless.”

We often use the term “screen-ready” when we talk about the Plane; this means that wherever you’re working or playing in front of a screen, you can step onto the Plane to enhance the experience. The movement is subtle enough to keep from distracting you, but it’s going to raise your heart rate and increase your range of motion (and will count toward your active standing goal if you’re tracking with your Apple Watch!).

One of our biggest challenges in bringing the Plane to market was creating a sustainable yet affordable product that is made here in the USA. After exploring our options, we were able to find US manufacturers and source materials that are not only recycled, but also recyclable—doubling our impact to keep waste out of landfills. The Plane’s base is molded from 100% post-industrial high molecular HDPE (one of the strongest recyclable plastics out there), the top deck is made from 100% recycled low-emitting rubber tires, and even the substrate between the base and rubber top is made of 70% post-consumer HDPE.