Ergonomic design is perhaps one of the most intuitive concepts practiced by industries today. The practice of ergonomic design aims to fit a tool or a job to a specific user or worker and specialize it to their exact needs and abilities. From electronic devices to the handles on doors, the man-made world conforms to the human shape. The body in whole is made up of many forms, it stands up as a bipedal entity. From the vertical axis straight down the middle the body has general symmetry: two eyes, two ears, one nose with two nostrils, all the way down to the arms, hands, legs, and feet. The intricate way joints, appendages, arms, and legs move inherently creates the need for ergonomically designed tools which adapt to the form of the body. A medieval knight is ergonomically protected by metal armor, the armor has been specifically shaped to fit closely and comfortably to the specifications of his body type. This practice is an instinctive trait throughout the time-line of man. In the past, our early predecessors used rocks and sticks to pulverize the world around them into submission. These sticks and rocks must have been a reasonable weight, size, and length in order for them to be chosen as tools. Thus, the first humans used tools which were ergonomic in their nature. Since the first stick was used as a tool, man-kind has continued to uphold the practice of using tools to make their lives easier. Ergonomic design requires that the physical object be accessible via a part of the body. After the stick, the evolution of tools has exploded. In today's society, everything conforms to the shape of the human body. Pillows wrap around the neck to give optimum comfort and complete immersion. A majority of students walk arou...
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...enable the process to run smoothly and easily with specialized controls and inputs. Our world today would not have the benefits and luxuries it has today without the intuitive practice of ergonomic design. Many positive side-effects have arisen from the utilization of ergonomic design such as more efficient ways to access and operate information to work more industriously. Ergonomic design has yielded many useful technologies to the world such as the computer, keyboard, and other personal electronic devices. Maintaining a good posture is a main goal in ergonomic design, chairs support backs and bottoms, desks and tables support arms, and the floor underneath even supports feet right now. Movement is an essential when it comes to design by ergonomics, architecture supports movement in the design. Ergonomic design has offered excellent ways to access information
As technology improves and time on the computer increases, symptoms for these diseases begin to appear more frequently. Sitting on the computer for hours on end makes you prone to developing a musculoskeletal disease since you are not being active or exercising your muscles. Ardahan and Simsek (2015) analyze the interaction and affect on excessive computer work and disease in the musculoskeleton. Their study includes 490 participants who work in a government office in Turkey, and observe how their bodies were reacting to their work environment, excluding workers who are already struggling with pain coming from a previous disease. Results were taken from the experiment by filling out questionnaires that attempted to document the level of discomfort that they experienced. More than 25% were discovered to not take a break during their session on the computer, but found that the average amount of time spent on the computer was 7 hours. The workers recorded musculoskeletal pain symptoms mainly in the neck area and back. Age was not a determinant factor when it came to being more prone to experiencing these symptoms. In some of the results, it was found that women are more likely to have pain in certain areas in comparison to men, and overall dealt with more pain. The data from the study proved that the more use you get on the computer, the more likely you are to develop symptoms of a disorder in your musculoskeletal system. To ensure that you don’t suffer through the pain, the results show that taking breaks from long computer usage is beneficial. It’s important to relax your muscles and keep them active instead of staring at a computer for more than 7 hours with no breaks in
STEIN, F., SODERBACK, I., CUTLER, S., LARSON, B., 2006. Occupational therapy and ergonomics. Applying ergonomic principals to everyday occupation in the home and at work. London: Whurr Publishers.
Proper ergonomic conditions prevent injuries to workers and allow them to work efficiently. Ergonomics reduces costs. Workers that do not have a good ergonomic workspace can suffer from pain and uncomfortable posture which is dealt with money spent on treatment. In Canada $800 000 000 per year goes to ergonomic related injuries. Appropriate ergonomic workspaces create an anti-injury space for workers. Ergonomics also increases worker’s productivity by designing a work place with good posture, good heights, fewer motions, and less exertion. Thus making the workspace more efficient for the worker. Ergonomics also
In a society becoming burdened by both active and sedentary work, the consequences of overuse injuries, back and neck pain, and weight gain are inevitable. In order to protect the well-being of workers and improve their overall quality of life, the implementation of ergonomic strategies in the workplace is becoming increasingly popular. It is commonly believed that work-related physical symptoms were not addressed in writing until the mid-1800s, but it must be recognized that ergonomics has crucial roots in the practices of Ancient Greece. With changing philosophies throughout history, designers have built on Greek construction methods, work regulations, and tools to improve the comfort, safety, and efficacy associated with working.
...tivities with proper mechanics, safely so that further injury does not occur. Mainly educating people how to change their movements and posture. This proves my thesis by stating a specific technique used to help improve the way in which one performs his/hers daily routines.
I chose the Da Vinci Surgical system as my topic because I am interested into going to physical therapy or into the orthopedics field after undergrad. Surgical equipment is highly important due to the hundreds of accidents that happen and also the high percentage of diseases. As these incidents occur it is important to consider the safety of the patient when it comes to cutting into their bodies. With the invention of the Da Vinci Surgical system it helped with vision and different viewpoints of the patient’s body and also improves precision. It is important to have a machine or tool for more than one type of surgery, one to use on patients with different injuries or diseases. Overall, this surgical system helps improve and help further research how precise and how in control a surgeon can be.
...hese complex machines make work easier for us. Simple machines are also useful. For one they make up all complex machines. They also make work more manageable.
One main item that could affect design is the concept of liability. In today’s day and age, organizations are quick to lay blame on an individual instead of looking at process improvement. For example, a manufacturing organization that identifies how to improve processes to avoid/correct seeing defects would strengthen the loyalty of its workers vs. one that identifies individuals to blame. Most new design is reviewed
In this report, I will outline the main factors in having a safe workstation. There are certain ways in which you may choose an ergonomically correct chair. Does the seat feel comfortable and fit your shape? When you sit in the chair the seat should be at least one inch wider than your hips and thighs on either side.
Hegeman, J. (2008). The Thinking Behind Design. Master Thesis submitted to the school of design, Carngie Mellon University. Retrieved from: http://jamin.org/portfolio/thesis-paper/thinking-behind-design.pdf.
There are several principles that form the foundation of universal design, which is defined as “an alternate path to accessible products or services, […] that have features that enable a person with a disability to use the product or service, whether by itself or in conjunction with assistive technology” (Tobias, 2003).Thus the main purpose of universal design is to make products usable to the greatest number of people, without the use of specially designed equipment (Connell, Jones, Mace, et al, 1997). The seven design elements serve as guidelines for reaching this goal.
In the year 1949 the term ergonomics was coined from the Greek words “ergo” meaning work and “nomos” meaning law in a meeting attended by distinguished psychologist and physiologist. The same group later formed the ergonomic research society (ERS) which was the first body in the world to study on ergonomics. ERS then evolved to the ergonomics society (ES) and then to the current Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (IEHF) (Omerley, 2103). Office ergonomics is part of this generalized evolution of ergonomics with it being a recognized discipline among the domains of ergonomics. Office ergonomics deals mainly in the office setting or environment and helps in averting injuries and adapting the work to the person rather than the person to the work.
By convention, the field of healthcare research was entirely occupied by physicians and doctors. They were the ones who came up with new methods to treat diseases and get better results from diagnostic tests. Technology, on the other hand, was always looked at as a way to solve problems that we faced that didn’t pertain to the medical sector. It was employed to enhance the quality of life and make day to day work easier. But as technology progressed, so did the areas of application. The structural balancing techniques which were previously used to hold a building steady were now being used to develop near-perfect artificial joints and prosthetic limbs. Transparent polymers, developed to enhance robotic vision, were being suggested as a candidate for an artificial lens for the human eye. Before anyone could even understand what was happening, engineering had taken up the mantle to further medical technology to dizzying new heights.
Meanwhile, due to the fact that the space is being designed specifically for the individuals needs therefore, it conveys personality and energy of the person. Evoke harmonized feelings, perspective and state of the client’s needs play major role in the final design. For instance, if a client wants to keep some of their existing sentimental valuables (such as a piece of art work), designers must work around that need. The designer can create do-it-yourself projects where they can satisfy the customer’s needs while being on budget. Harmony and balance are also important, so designers must keep in mind functionality ( feng
Some may ask why do we design? What actually makes our design work? When a designer can produce effortlessly the goal of design has been achieved. This is a universal principle and is not limited to neither digital media, handcraft nor with any other design method. Within today’s era, typography has come a long way in regards to its development and the technologies used for it. Aside from this things are still developing, however, some things will always remain the same. “Words in art are words. Letters in art are letters. Writing in art is writing” – Ad Reinhardt (1966) (Morley 2007: p6)