BREAKTHROUGH 'ERGONOMICALLY DESIGNED DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN ERGONOMICALLY USED'

摘要

You know your shoe size by heart. Digital technology can even mold crowns for your teeth and shoes for each foot or scanning your asymmetric body to fit fashion design suits. Do you want to know your 'sleep numbers' to change the mattress density of a high-tech bed? They are available too. What about a car drivers comfort numbers, or PC users workplace numbers that fit them to a "T"? Technology is often seen as a panacea for every ergonomic problem, but it can create as many problems as it cures, unless it is implemented intelligently. The paper discusses problems related to driving a car and working at the PC while not getting the full benefit from these ergonomically designed products. There is a description of a few futuristic scenarios achievable today or in the near future.