#PostureTech is here to save your back!

Do you have back pain? At the neck? You are among the 84% of office workers who suffer from their bad posture! Computers may have been the source of the problem...but technology can also be the solution! Discover it in this article on the #PostureTech.

This article is an excerpt from the interview on #FutureOfWork that I gave, from San Francisco, to Sebastien Couasnon, in the Tech & Co show on BFM Business (with English subtitles):

Most of those who work on a laptop tend to work head down, slump... and it is obviously a bad posture that can cause musculoskeletal problems.

Back problems have become the first health problem of Americans! 1 in 4 American experience at least 1 day of back problem every 3 months.

39% of people working in the office say they suffer permanently or often back problems.

It may seem ironic, but if technology is the cause of our workplace health problems, it can also be a solution! There are so many startups on this niche.

3 technological innovations to solve your posture problems at work!

1. UpRight, the bad posture detector!

Upright is a device that will follow your posture, vibrate to remind you to stand up straight.

You place the small electronic device in the back, which holds through a similar adhesive to a bandage.

The device is equipped with an accelerometer that recognizes whether your back is straight or tilted.

The device is linked to a smartphone application. There are two modes:

• A training mode where the device will vibrate when you bend too much, when you adopt a bad posture.
• A tracking mode, or without vibrating, the sensor will still measure the posture that was held all day, a bit a fitbit of the back, of his posture.

One might think that it is invasive but I tested it, and on the contrary, without unduly disturbing, it makes you aware of its bad posture, to get rid of its bad posture habit by learning to stand up straight.

After a week of use, I already improved my posture and noticed, in fact, that I had less gene in the shoulders and back.

The device costs less than a hundred dollars, or 80 €. The device is on sale in apple stores and on Amazon!

Thanks to UpRight Go, I realized that, by default, I was constantly leaning forward to look at my laptop. So I also added screens, at the height of my eyes while standing straight on my office chair, so as not to have to look down while working:

Since, my back and neck pains are gone!

2. Darma, the office chair cushion connected!

If having a device on your back is too intimidating, you can also try #Darma, a smart cushion that will also teach you to sit upright and can even track your vital signals. A fitbit of your office activity!

Similarly, the device is connected to an application. Darma can also analyze your posture to keep you straight. Not only if you lean too much forward but also if you lean too much right or left.

But Darma also has a function to tell us when we have sat too long and that we should get up 5 minutes. Depending on our posture, Darma can even recommend some stretching.

"Sitting is the new smoking"

Indeed, many researchers report that "sitting is the new smoking", that to sit too long, is even more dangerous than smoking. Studies even show that playing sports does not reduce the negative effects of sitting too long!

The scientists explain that our metabolism is reduced by 90% after sitting for more than 30 minutes, we are less likely to generate enzymes capable of eliminating fat, for example.

At the same time, 90% more pressure is applied to the lower back while sitting while standing.

Darma even measures our breathing rate and heart rate, which helps to assess a certain level of stress. This helps to realize that perhaps it is time to take a break, meditate to better focus and be more productive.

Darma is priced at $200 but if you tend to sit too long in front of your computer, it can be worth the cost to your health!

3. AltWork, the workstation of the future!

If you're obsessed with your desktop, try #Altwork, their workstation is magic!

Standing desks are standardized in Silicon Valley, we also regularly see workstations with a treadmill but there are even even more revolutionary workstations like Alt Work which there, propose to be able to lie down (but much more productive than in bed or couch) while working.

The keyboard and mouse are magnetized so that even when lying down, everything stays within reach.

Altwork offers a modular workstation, where you can adapt from a sitting position, stand up, elongated, in short, offer all the varieties of comfort to be both the most productive and preserve its health.

I have tested it and, indeed, it is really amazing how comfortable it is while putting us in a context of work more stimulating than the simple comfort of our bed.

AltWork still costs $8,500 but when you think about it, you spend 11 hours a day in front of your screen, while millions of people, spend a lot more money for their car and use it only one to two hours a day, needing to change it more regularly, why not invest in health and productivity!

Homo Sapiens has become a Homo Sedentarius!

Silicon Valley is aware that computers turn homo sapiens into a homo sedentarius, a sitting species, with little movement.

Becoming a #HomoSedentarius is not without consequence, but innovation also solves its own problems!

Ergonomics is therefore becoming more and more important, and the future of work and the future of health will go through a greater awareness of the issues of good disposition and good habits to take.

Share this article with your manager or HR manager to suggest improving your working conditions ... for the sake of your health and the one of your company through your productivity gains!

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If you want to update your innovation strategy with the trends of the future that are preparing in Silicon Valley for your issues, send me an email to [email protected]

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