Gizmodo Australia » ergonomics

Mouseblisters Counteract Your Sweaty Palms

Sean Fallon — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:20:00 +0000

So mind-bogglingly complex that it took over a year to develop—little rubber chunks called Mouseblisters give sweaty palms better mouse gripping capability. Apparently, this will help reduce RSI and tendonitis symptoms.

It also helps to modify the size of your mouse—something that can make things more comfortable if you have big hands. Oh, and if this product wasn’t already ridiculous enough, I should warn you that it is officially in “beta mode.” Beware! The awesome technology behind this product may contain a few bugs! Seriously, if there is a better example of the growing absurdity of beta culture I have not seen it. [Mouse Blister via Slashgear via Gear Diary]

Samurai Ergonomics

Brian Lam — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:00:51 +0000

I have ignored computer ergonomic professionals my entire computing life, but this winter, a pain in my lower back would not go away. Instead of listening to “experts” I followed the advice of ancient swordsmen.

Samurai guards used to sit in a kneeling position, with one knee up and one knee on the ground. The instability of the position, which required an active rebalancing, along with the slight tinge of pain on the lowered knee cap on the ground, made it ideal for long uneventful shifts. The position kept people awake, which kept them sharp and engaged so they’d be ready when the sonofabitch ninjas finally showed their facemasks. It’s like a single replacement for a chair, and coffee.

I find that physiologically it also makes a great alternative to the sitting position, where one’s back and gluts and neck are constantly stretched while the hip flexors and abs are constantly compressed but unused. This way, I stretch one leg at a time. The kneeling also keeps my eyes level with the screen of a laptop, and the desk too relatively high to lean on (which causes me to slouch). I don’t get too tired, as I can rest my chest against the desk when I need to.

Through the day, I sit on an exercise ball, too, but I never feel better than when I am in the sitting stance. Swordsmen were also able to draw swords from this stance, to address attackers in front and behind them. I just change knees every few emails. Just in case the ninjas show. [Iaido, image from]

*This stance works for me, but I am not an ergonomic expert. Obviously.

Ergonomic Workstation: The Ultimate in Geeky Gaming Comfort

Sean Fallon — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:10:00 +0000

The Ergonomic Workstation from Ergo Motions may look like a dentist’s chair, but I must say that if my dentist had this thing in his office, I would be in there for a root canal right away. Ergo Motions mission is to help gamers and heavy workstation users avoid the repetitive stress injuries and posture issues that often result from sitting on your arse and typing away on a computer all day. The Ergonomic Workstation Phase I prototype appears to do that–and much more.

Features:

•Industrial rack mounted hardened PC
•Two 19″ Digital monitors
•7.1 surround sound system
•Wireless network capability
•Ergonomic keyboard and mouse
•Video conferencing capability with a built-in camera
•VOIP with full telephony features
•Articulating calf support (programmable to reduce DVT)
•Mechanically adjustable armrests
•Mechanically adjustable head rest and monitors
•Pneumatically inflatable lumbar and headrest bladders
•Mechanically reclining motion to 38 degrees
•Mechanically adjustable seat depth (knee to hip)
•Mechanically retractable monitors
•Swing away keyboard (manual)
•Form fitting seatback, armrests and seat cushion
•Memory chair presets via proprietary Motion Control Board/Software
•Compact design using twelve square feet of floor space

As I mentioned earlier, the Ergonomic Workstation is currently in a prototype phase so the when, where and how much information is not yet known. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it was far too expensive for the average lazy geek to afford. [Ergo Motions via Born Rich]

Wow-Pen Joy Mouse Has Not a Pen, Wow, Nor Joy in Sight

Addy Dugdale — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:46:59 +0000

From the people who bought you the Wow-Pen Mouse, now get your hands around the Wow-Pen Joy Mouse. This shark fin-shaped mouse is F to the Ug to the Lee, but its ergonomics can only do good things to you (or something). It supports Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista, weighs 200g and has a resolution of 800 dpi. Expect it to hit around the middle of March, price will be around US$30. Gallery for those of you into ergo-porn below. [Aving USA]

LINDO “Hip-office” Design Has Us Bent Double

Gizmodo US Edition — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:45:18 +0000

We love gadgets of all kinds here at Gizmodo, particularly the ones that look like this: meet the LINDO, an ergonomic solution for a “hiptop” office support for your new laptop computer. It sounds a little like an idea we’ve heard before, and is apparently a genuine attempt at avoiding those “serious damages to health” caused by monotonous desk-sitting that orthopaedists warn us about. Designed by HK Ergonomics, it fits all by itself, without belts, and you can use it while sitting, standing, walking, leaning, kneeling and it’s also apparently suitable for those who like to work in the lunge position. [HK via LikeCool]

Chair Lifts and Separates Your Butt Cheeks For Maximum Comfort

Sean Fallon — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:30:29 +0000

The makers of this unique looking Ayur Chair claim that it can provide “perfect lumbar support while ergonomically lifting and separating your butt checks for optimum comfort.” Since I have never sat in one, I can’t really back-up this claim. However, I can see how it would be beneficial when you have a serious beefer on deck and you need to do a little “lifting and separating” to ensure that everyone else in the office doesn’t hear it. Is that worth the $550 price tag? Probably not, unless you have some serious gastrointestinal issues. [Product Page via Electro Plankton via Geekologie]

Faraday Stool: Because Electrical Towers are Naturally Ergonomic

Sean Fallon — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:00:56 +0000

As you might have guessed, the name of this unique piece of furniture derives from Michael Faraday —an English scientist known for his contributions to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. So, that partially explains why they went ahead and designed a stool that bears more than a passing resemblance to an electrical tower. Another explanation involves a desire to use steel wire to create a stool that is light, solid, and ergonomic. That sounds great, but by the looks of things my arse would tell a different story. Prices available upon request. [Product Page via Josh Spear]

Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 (Verdict: Close, but stops short of ergonomic bliss)

Seamus Byrne — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:16:04 +0000

Microsoft’s hardware division has delivered some top quality peripherals for 25 years now (well, the quality in the early days would be laughable by current standards). Their focus on improved ergonomics has been an important part of that evolution, and now their latest offering – the Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 – attempts to take a big leap forward in mouse comfort. I’ve been using it full-time for the last couple of weeks to see how big a difference this new slanted design makes to wrist comfort. It takes some getting used to, but it is a definite improvement. My big question: why did they stop at a slant when a true ergonomic mouse should go into a vertical handshake orientation? Read on for my thoughts on why this feels like a missed opportunity to those looking for real relief from strain at the desktop.This mouse has all the style and features one could ask for from Microsoft. It’s all just tilted to the side to shift the hand into a more comfortable position, resting on the edge of the hand rather than twisted into a straight down position. As soon as you hold this you remember your hand is more natural and more relaxed when sitting on its side.

But this is the issue. Moving your hand into this position gives a regular reminder your hand would be more comfortable if it went *just a little further*. You can sort of use this mouse if you completely rest your hand on its side, but you just aren’t quite holding the mouse when you do.

Check out the Evoluent VerticalMouse to see a mouse that puts your hand right where it should be. That’s a good design, though it is an ugly piece of work that fails to offer any buttons beyond left-right-scroll basics. If this positioning had been adopted by Microsoft and given their polish and features, this would be an absolute ‘buy now’.

As it stands, it is $99 well spent for those having trouble right now (or you could import an Evoluent from an online store). But I hope we see a second generation design that goes the extra few inches to put this on an axis that makes for a true ‘natural’ wireless mouse. -Seamus Byrne [Microsoft Hardware]

Ahrend 750 Office Furniture Elecronically Adjusts For the Freakishly Short

Sean Fallon — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 23:30:44 +0000

Tall or short, the Ahrend 750 Office Furniture System will give you the fit you need thanks to a built-in electronic height adjustment feature. Users can raise or lower the desk with a simple push of a button. Plus, an LCD display makes re-adjusting the desk to your preferred height a snap. It’s kind of like the office version of the “sleep number bed.” Co-workers would exchange their numbers during casual conversation and the short and small-torsoed would undoubtedly be singled out and ridiculed. [Ahrend via Designboom via OhGizmo]

Belkin n52te SpeedPad, More One-Handed Gaming

Mark Wilson — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:38:40 +0000

The Belkin n52te SpeedPad is a sexy update of the cult classic Nostromo SpeedPad N52. Meant to replace the keyboard (and even mouse) for hardcore PC gamers, the controller offers 15 programmable keys, an 8-way thumb pad and full ergonomic support for extended play (aka…a regular day in our life). But most of this was already standard, and the n52te boasts some nice improvements over its predecessor.The new back lighting offering glowy blue keys that will turn your face to alien colours during late night frag sessions, and the addition of onboard memory that can store your settings and custom profiles, making the highly tweakable peripheral truly plug and play for tournaments and…uhh…showing off your skillz at Best Buy?

It’s a bit too much of a commitment for our current setup, but glowing peripherals still haven’t gotten old in our book. $70 this November. If you don’t need the new settings, you can still pick up the cheaper original n52 for only like $30. Any readers use one? [belkin]