The staging in this production of Tuesdays With Morrie required a recliner that could be remotely adjusted. I removed the existing springs and levers from a cheap recliner we purchased and designed a system of pneumatic cylinders that moved the footrest and backrest into three different positions.
The first cylinder installed controlled the footrest, either fully extended or fully closed.
The next two pairs of cylinders controlled the backrest, one set moving it to a halfway position and the other set moving to the completely reclined position. Here all four cylinders are extended, pushing the backrest to its upright position.
Here is the recliner in its upright position on stage.
And shown here is the chair on stage fully reclined.