You may not know what ergonomics is but chances are that you have benefited from their implementation.
Ergonomics is the process of designing systems to better the interaction between humans and the tools they use. Currently, ergonomics is employed to optimize the productivity in the workplace. In the home ergonomics can be used to provide safe furnishings and technology which can be easily used and understood. Either use can have added medical benefits by reducing the chances of disabilities such as repetitive strain injuries or skeletal disorders. Another intention of ergonomics is to help us overcome limitations, especially helpful to people with disabilities.
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The principles of ergonomics have been traced back as far as Ancient Greece, allegedly to the fifth century BC. This foundation likely began as an effort to optimize the output of work and included the formation of tools to better work with the human body. Another instance from ancient times is the manner by which Egyptian surgeons fashioned and arranged their surgical tools. Frederick Winslow Taylor is credited with being the first to organize ergonomic thinking into a solid discipline to optimize the method by which a task can be accomplished. He found, for instance, that reducing the size and weight of coal shovels greatly increased the coal output.
Of course, ergonomics would become very useful as an idea regarding the waging of war. During World War I aviation was a subject of intense ergonomic study, providing the maximum effect and efficiency of pilots working with their aircraft. Common elements included presenting an intuitive set of controls and designs which would assist the pilots in dealing with negative effects imposed on the human body by the flight. The first flight simulator was created in the 1930s by Edwin Link, who used designs based on ergonomic principles. These innovations and many others prepared the military for World War II.
Ergonomic thinking soon transferred from the military to many other fields. The automobile industry, for instance, made use of these ideas to produce vehicles that were more comfortable, efficient and safe.
The dawning of the Information Age brought about new avenues for ergonomic design, driven by the development of the computer. With the development of the personal computer (PC), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) became a driver for the business. As the PC evolved, a range of furniture and peripherals were created to complement the machine, most with ergonomics in their design. Some of the better known are the mouse, which fits the human hand, and control room furniture, which makes the user more comfortable. Local governments also benefited from HCI in the form of control room consoles and data center consoles which optimized function by accommodating one or more users.
Many businesses employ full-time specialists in ergonomics, sometimes referred to as user trial engineers, to constantly upgrade the productivity of the workplace. These human factor specialists work to improve upon present designs and create new innovations to replace less productive or safe components of the workplace. This includes considering things that exists within the environment such as climate, light and temperature. Today ergonomics have become so commonplace that it is often at work without us noticing.
Ergonomics is the process of designing systems to better the interaction between humans and the tools they use. Currently, ergonomics is employed to optimize the productivity in the workplace. In the home ergonomics can be used to provide safe furnishings and technology which can be easily used and understood. Either use can have added medical benefits by reducing the chances of disabilities such as repetitive strain injuries or skeletal disorders. Another intention of ergonomics is to help us overcome limitations, especially helpful to people with disabilities.
The principles of ergonomics have been traced back as far as Ancient Greece, allegedly to the fifth century BC. This foundation likely began as an effort to optimize the output of work and included the formation of tools to better work with the human body. Another instance from ancient times is the manner by which Egyptian surgeons fashioned and arranged their surgical tools. Frederick Winslow Taylor is credited with being the first to organize ergonomic thinking into a solid discipline to optimize the method by which a task can be accomplished. He found, for instance, that reducing the size and weight of coal shovels greatly increased the coal output.
Of course, ergonomics would become very useful as an idea regarding the waging of war. During World War I aviation was a subject of intense ergonomic study, providing the maximum effect and efficiency of pilots working with their aircraft. Common elements included presenting an intuitive set of controls and designs which would assist the pilots in dealing with negative effects imposed on the human body by the flight. The first flight simulator was created in the 1930s by Edwin Link, who used designs based on ergonomic principles. These innovations and many others prepared the military for World War II.
Ergonomic thinking soon transferred from the military to many other fields. The automobile industry, for instance, made use of these ideas to produce vehicles that were more comfortable, efficient and safe.
The dawning of the Information Age brought about new avenues for ergonomic design, driven by the development of the computer. With the development of the personal computer (PC), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) became a driver for the business. As the PC evolved, a range of furniture and peripherals were created to complement the machine, most with ergonomics in their design. Some of the better known are the mouse, which fits the human hand, and control room furniture, which makes the user more comfortable. Local governments also benefited from HCI in the form of control room consoles and data center consoles which optimized function by accommodating one or more users.
Many businesses employ full-time specialists in ergonomics, sometimes referred to as user trial engineers, to constantly upgrade the productivity of the workplace. These human factor specialists work to improve upon present designs and create new innovations to replace less productive or safe components of the workplace. This includes considering things that exists within the environment such as climate, light and temperature. Today ergonomics have become so commonplace that it is often at work without us noticing.