The hover seat has been created by researchers at Japan's Kobe Gakuin University.
The prototype floats inches above the floor on a small cushion of air. It works using an air compressor in a similar way to the pucks in the popular arcade game air hockey.
The chair pushes vents of slowly moving, low-pressure air downwards, which are trapped underneath the base. It can then glide freely because the air cushion reduces the friction of the recliner.
It was developed by Tsunesuke Furuta from the Department of Rehabilitation, with elderly people in mind.
The futuristic chair, which was demonstrated this month at the Osaka Robot Fair in Japan, can carry people who weigh up to 23stone over smooth surfaces.
Footage from the Osaka event shows that it can rotate and moves forwards and backwards easily, but does not move vertically.
Users can choose either a comfortable car seat design or a traditional Japanese floor cushion called a zabuton.
The design is reminiscent of the hover chairs used by the massively obese human characters in the animated film Wall-E.
The researchers are seeking business partners to develop the chair.
The floating chair is similar to the one portrayed in the futuristic animation Wall-E, where humans become so lazy they lose the use of their legs
