Wearable Ergonomics - The Future of Office Activity?
Posted by Human Solution on Mar 27th 2015
Late last year, I bought myself an early Christmas present - a brand new Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch, replacing an ancient Casio G-Shock that I had worn daily for nearly 15 years. It was a change that didn't instantly flip my life upside-down, but it certainly changed my habits in more ways than just needing to sit my watch on a charger at the end of the day instead of tossing it on my dresser. I started responding to text messages quicker thanks to my watch buzzing every time someone contacted me, I became more aware of how cold it would be every morning before leaving my apartment, and I no longer had to constantly check my phone for directions, as my watch lit up with a tiny map at every intersection while my GPS navigation was active (which is a useful feature with Austin's new hands-free law in effect). It seemed like I was finding new ways to make my life a little bit simpler almost every day.
When I showed it off to my parents, my dad immediately wanted to know if he could use one to replace the myriad of fitness gadgets he's collected over the years. As it turns out, it can. The latest generation of Android smartwatches, my Moto 360 included, pack an incredible array of sensors designed to help track steps, heart rate, distance walked, and calories burned. While it's not perfectly accurate, it has helped me better track my daily activity levels both at and away from my treadmill desk. Even though I currently push myself to walk at least 2 hours each day on my LifeSpan TR800, having that little reminder has gone a long way to keeping me on my toes during the day, lest I end up needing to put a few more minutes in at the gym to make up for lost time.
The new Apple Watch looks to take things even further, and will help you stay more aware of your activity at work than ever. In addition to a similar set of fitness functions as its Android Wear-enabled contemporaries, the Apple Watch uses its built-in accelerometers to track how much time you're sitting each day. The Activity app will then remind you to stand up and move around for at least one minute each hour for 12 hours each day, encouraging you to complete the "Stand" ring in a graph that tracks your daily activity progress. While it's not as much standing time as we generally recommend, it's certainly a great way to remind yourself to make the most of your UPLIFT Desk's height-adjustment system.
With wearable tech still in its infancy, there's a good chance that these reminders are just the beginning when it comes to wearable ergonomics. No matter what the future holds for smartwatches, smartphones, and other gadgets, it's satisfying to know that we're all likely to live easier healthier lives as a result.
For more information on height-adjustable desks, treadmill desks, and other active office accessories, visit TheHumanSolution.com.
Related Reads
Follow Us:
Interested in ergonomics?
Subscribe to our blog mailing list
