Researchers in Dresden have developed an office chair designed to alleviate the pain of sedentary workers.
With the rising popularity of remote work and digitalisation, most of us spend a vast amount of time facing the computer. With this renovation, workers will finally be able to avoid the health issues related to the sedentary lifestyle.
The perfect chair
A test laboratory at the Dresden University of Technology in Germany has been investigating how a sedentary lifestyle can be made healthier and more enjoyable. With years of tests, scientists have been tracking the body´s movement with sensors to understand the effects of sitting versus moving and how these can be applied to make sitting a healthy habit.
The ergonomics Engineer, Dr Martin Schmauder shared; “We wanted to study the physiology involved in sitting. To learn at what point a movement is most effective, to deduce when it would be good to get up and walk around.” He noted that the scientists have been looking for “the right dose” of movement.
The team has designed numerous chairs already, including one which has a low gravity centre and is shaky like a ball. Another is a rocking chair with a high gravity centre; while sitting, the head remains in a frame, allowing you to keep the upper body still, while swinging your legs and imitating walking.
“Here we tried to transfer the movement of walking to sitting because the centre of rotation is in the middle of the body, I get a movement similar to walking,” explained the ergonomist Mark Bührer. When using the chair, one can stay active while sitting down; “Today, I already covered 1,2 km virtually all while sitting down.”
Not only does this chair allow freedom of movement, therefore releasing body tension but it also features a sensor to measure pelvic movement; the users can see exactly how much energy, in calories, they have spent while sitting. The development has been in the making for the past three years.
Now, the Dresden scientists are waiting for manufacturers to turn the rocking chair into an appealing, health-beneficial office chair. “If we can make sitting similar to walking, we´ve won,” said Dr Schmauder.
Other tips
While you wait for the dream chairs to become available, there are still several habits you can adopt to lead a sedentary but healthy lifestyle.
Take active breaks; breaks are essential to effective work. Go outside, take a walk or ride a bike during your break. Take your lunch outside too, instead of hovering over the desk. Incorporate movement into your daily life; take the stairs, practise your favourite sport, go swimming or train at the gym.
Choose to spend your days actively. When sitting to work, maintain proper posture; prolonged hunching is guaranteed to cause you back pain and strained muscles. Continue looking for new ways to stay healthy.
