Drink your Ergonomics
Next time you are in the mood for a sports drink, take a look at Gatorade’s EDGE. That is Ergonomically Designed Gatorade Experience. The new bottle is designed to be easier to grip and drink from. In 1994 Quaker Oats started a study looking at, among other factors, variability in the size of the human mouth (1.7-2.3 inches). Why did the company do this? In a report by BusinessWeek, the company says that the EDGE bottle has increased sales between 10% and 25%.
Office Environment Control
In a recent survey by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), office workers responded that comfort, including ergonomic issues and the ability to control the environment (e.g. temperature and lighting), was among the top ranked in terms of satisfaction with their workplace.
Ergonomics Goes Global
Global Positioning – that is. Knowing exactly where you are in the world is designed to be a more comfortable experience according to Thales Navigation*, manufacturer of Magellan(TM) Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. Thales reports that ergonomics played a part in the new design of the eight ounce – hand held positioning system. Included in the new design was a slip resistant rubber cover, and back lit keys to improve viewing in poor light.
Top Gun
What is Russia doing with ergonomics? How about improving flight control and safety of their highly maneuverable MiG-29 and Su-27 planes. The new system, BASBP, ensures continuous automated monitoring and control of the flight parameters, the performance of the life- supporting systems, the pilot’s capability and his actions in extreme situations.
This article originally appeared in The Ergonomics Report™ on 2002-08-01.