Patrick Rampelotto hit upon the polypropylene foam used in his most recent works in early 2010: it is produced using a special machine which was developed and patented as a pilot unit to produce new kinds of sandwich components for the machine and vehicle industries. This material has to be heated to a temperature of 140°C and then processed within seconds, since it quickly solidifies and assumes a stable shape as it cools off. It is the only known synthetic material which is both foamable and translucent. Patrick Rampelotto, joined by his colleague Fritz Pernkopf, subsequently developed the prototypes for the Pilot stool, which will be brought on the market and produced in series by Belgian label Quinze & Milan.