The DreamCom 10 Ergonomic Laptop Transformer is similar to every other existing laptop. However, it does include beneficial functions for the user. It is a pretty standard Intel-Based computer (featuring UMTS/HSDPA). It has the ability to transform into multiple configurations for improved user comfort. It does so with an expandable neck and an attached dock allowing for a tipi-like biped stance. It is less hunch-back induced than a standard laptop. 
X-Bow Boat Design (pictures at the bottom)
For many years boat design has remained constant, most boat designers believe that changing the boat design would defy the laws of
physics and the boat might not survive on water. The differences between the average boats include the bow of the boat (the front) where there is a “lump” (picture to the side) right below the sea level, this cuts straight through the waves to enhance speed. The X-bow boat does not have this “lump” and still manages to travel more efficiently and faster.
The information below states the advantages of the new design.
The unique and environmentally-friendly X-BOW® hull line design offers significantly higher transit speed in adverse weather conditions, as well as enhanced fuel economics. The bow shape ensures soft entry into waves, thus reducing speed loss, pitch and heave accelerations, as well as eliminating slamming and vibration problems associated with conventional bow flare.
X-BOW® advantages:
– Lower pitch and heave accelerations due to foreship volume distribution and slender hull water line
– Reduced noice and vibration levels in foreship due to soft entry into waves
– Less spray
– Negligible occurrences of green water on bridge deck
– Working deck and deck equipment better protected due to hull extended to full beam in accommodation area
http://www.ulstein.com/kunder/ulstein/cms66.nsf/doc/3A6662B6DEF379B3C12576C70031E17D
Pictures:
http://www.superyachtshipping.com/images/chartered_ship_shipping_boats.jpg
http://www.tgal.us/section.php?xSec=23
http://gcaptain.com/a-viking-ship-redesigned-for-modern-use/?190
As human beings spend lots of time sitting and sleeping it is essential to choose ergonomic bedding and seating products that further provide them with the proper amount of support and comfort which is necessary to maintain a healthy and comfortable life. Every man and woman has their own unique body shape and thus their own sleeping and sitting posture. The Grand Adjustable Base Mattress is an example of an ergonomic friendly product as it is designed to contour to your body to provide the proper spinal alignment and support necessary for a restful night’s sleep and stress-free day. The Grand Ergo adjustable base allows the user to be in control as it has an infinite number of ergonomic rest positions and rejuvenating massage. The wireless remote lets you control movement from the comfort of your bed, as it electronically adjusts to your every movement.
SOME OF ITS ERGONOMICS INCLUDE:
VIDEO SHOWING ERGONOMIC OF TEMPURPEDIC MATTRESSES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C-mM0ehxgM
Bibliography:
http://www.tempurpedic.com/Adjustable-Bases/Adjustable-Bases.asp
http://www.sleepcountry.com/uploads/images/products/tempurpedic/tempurpedic-ergo-515-325.jpg
At the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, research is underway to recycle our unwanted plastic bags and convert them into carbon fiber. Not only that, but the properties of the fibers themselves could be fine-tuned, allowing different types of carbon fiber to be created for specific applications.
The main scientist on the project, Amit Naskar, began with polyethylene-base fibers which could conceivably come from waste plastic sources, such as shopping bags and carpet backing scraps. Using a “a multi-component melt extrusion-based fiber spinning method,” the surface contours of these fibers can be customized, and their diameter can be manipulated with submicron precision.
Bundles of these fibers are dipped into a proprietary acid chemical bath. A process known as sulfonation causes the plastic molecules to bond with one another, transforming each bundle of fibers into one joined black fiber.
When exposed to very high temperatures, these fibers won’t melt but instead, the heat will cause their chemical components to turn to a gaseous state. After the gass has been released, a fiber composed of most carbon is all that remains.
Due to its tunable porosity, many uses are envisioned for the plastic-derived carbon fiber. Scientist hope the material will be of use to the production of applications such as filtration or energy harvesting, but more importantly it is hoped to be used in the American auto industry, to make tough yet lightweight, inexpensive car parts.
The process holds great economic value as common material, such as polyethylene used in plastic bags, could be turned into something far more valuable.
“Our results represent what we believe will one day provide industry with a flexible technique for producing technologically innovative fibers in myriad configurations such as fiber bundle or non-woven mat assemblies” – Amit Naskar
http://www.gizmag.com/carbon-fiber-polyethylene/21985/
What Is It? Dr. Riter’s ErgoChair is a new and exciting ergonomic chair designed by a group of physicians, health practitioners and engineers in Switzerland to promote correct posture, to help strengthen the muscles in the abdominal area and the spine, and to take stress off the back and neck’.
What Does It Do? Most people who sit in front of a computer or at a desk for prolonged periods of time assume poor posture. It results in flattening of the lumbar spine and altered head carriage. This can result in chronic lower back pain, weak abdominal muscles, and neck problems that often lead to headaches.
Prolonged sitting in most office chairs can also cause poor circulation in the legs resulting in painful leg cramps or the sensation of the legs falling asleep.
The ErgoChair enables individuals to achieve proper posture. The egg-shaped flexible ball allows free movement of the body – up and down, back and forth, and side to side – for the body to find the best posture to relieve and prevent back pain. The egg-shaped ball can be inflated or deflated to the desired height for different individuals and an air pump is included for easy re-inflation. The ball can also be removed from the chair frame and used for stretching and exercising with included exercise manual.
By using the ErgoChair many different abdominal muscles naturally tense to tilt the pelvis and the lumbar spine flexes and extends reaching the balanced position of optimal function and stability. The muscles will then contract to hold the position. This makes the body aware of the correct posture. After about one to two weeks of use, you will notice that you have better posture sitting in any chair.
Sources: http://www.roclar.net/archives/1122
http://sitincomfort.com/dorier.html
Ergonomics, is the “scientific discipline that seeks to understand and improve human interactions with products, equipment, environments and systems.” As a result ergonomics extends across our work, our leisure and other aspects of our daily lives.
Sitting for extended periods of time is unhealthful. As more people are becoming aware of this, standing workstations are becoming popular. In the pursuit of solving this problem the stand-up desk has been designed. In order to get a stand-up desk that fits is to ensure that the measurements are correct in accordance to the user’s height, epitomizing the true definition of ergonomics. It is recommended that a prospective user create a temporary stand-up desk setup, with boxes and books, to get a better idea of the personal comfort zone while standing. As it is a one off product, it stars at $1,000.
Stand-up desks offer many advantages over conventional desks. Many who have back problems simply cannot endure the stress that prolonged sitting at a desk creates. Therefore mental blocks, fatigue, pain, all occur while sitting at desks. As a result this design product is
Bibliography:
http://www.justluxe.com/lifestyle/home-decor/feature-1638675.php
Schukra Adjustable Lumbar Back Support
This back support is ergonomically friendly for the user as it comes with an adjustment knob that adjusts the degree of the curve. The adjustment knob allows for it to individually support a wide range of users efficiently. The back support is also portable so the user can strap it onto any chair to ensure their back is always well supported. Additionally, in comparison to other back supports on the market, Schukra’s product has a relatively thin profile so doesn’t take up a significant portion of the seatpan.
In this technological age we find ourselves spending a vast amount of time sitting in front of computers. Spending such a large span of time in an uncomfortable chair, most likely not sitting with correct posture, will soon begin to take a toll on our backs. This back support provides a solution to this problem, providing our backs with sufficient support around the clock with it’s portable feature. The most beneficial of its features is its ergonomic design that provides it with the ability to adjust to the individual user and support their back perfectly, ensuring an all around better support.
The back support provides support for the lower portion of the vertebrae, know as the lumbar. In the United States, lower-back and lumbar strains are the most common cause of missed work days. This statistic shows an obvious need for better back support for the lower back region whenever possible. Strain on the back from constant bad posture and no back support when spending hours a day on a computer can cause a severe, constant pain in the lower back. Bad posture specifically adds strain to muscles and puts stress on the spine which can change the anatomical characteristics of the spine over time.
The Tempur-Pedic mattress series is the definition of ergonomic design. Beds and mattresses that are normally used can cause problems for people with back problems. For one, they don’t provide proper support for the spinal column, only noticeably so for people with back pains and injuries. This is where Tempur-Pedic kicks in. The mattress is made to fit around the body of who ever lies in it. They come in different levels of deformation, each to fit different back conditions and comfort for the user. One feature which is essential to the goal of the company is a high level of customization. Because it strives to help individual people (not the majority of the population) they try and make it so that the product can be made around the individuals preferences; and this is a key feature for any ergonomic product
Technology should change for people’s needs and not the other way around that is what the company Humanscale is trying with their product; the switch mouse. The switch mouse is 30% larger than the typical mouse and is designed to mitigate wrist injuries such as carpal tunnel. They do this by having designed a built in palm rest that encourage arm movements instead of wrist movements.
The mouse is designed with a v shaped bracket that can tilt in order to keep our hands and wrists straight and can be used by both right and left handed people. The mouse also has the ability to stretch for people with larger hands.
The company says that it is a product that takes time to break into but will improve our bad mouse habits.
About:
This robot was invented by inventor, entrepreneur and engineer Tony Mulligan. Named EMILY, an abbreviation of Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard, it “can swim through riptides at a speed of up to 24 miles per hour.” This makes it 15 times as fat as a human lifeguard, according to Mulligan.
“It is powered with an electric pump that shoots a forceful stream of water”, and “has been tested at California’s Zuma Beach.” Lifeguards are in control of the robot, through a remote. The 2011 model features sonar technology and is controlled with an iPhone app, allowing it to detect riptides and people who have drowned.
Reactions:
1. ” ‘From a technology perspective, [Emily] is quite innovative,’ says Howie Choset, a robotics professor at Carnegie Mellon University. ‘To be able to maneuver such a small craft through choppy waters straight to a drowning victim is incredible.’ ”
2. ” ‘This is a classic example of an inventor’s idea of how to solve a problem that doesn’t necessarily coincide with reality,’ says B. Chris Brewster, president of the United States Lifesaving Association. He notes that a robotic floatation device — no matter how nifty — can’t save an unconscious swimmer.”
Video demonstrating how the robot works:
Sources:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2029497_2030615_2029800,00.html
http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/25/technology/robot_lifeguard/index.htm
