When you are operating on The Level, you can sit or stand but, either way, will be passively encouraged to stay in motion and make those 8-hour days a bit healthier and perhaps even more enjoyable.

Most Americans spend close to a full working day sitting, which is not only frustrating but also unhealthy – this inventor took lessons from his time at Teva (both regarding ergonomics and his own desk-bound experience) and put them to work in this novel (and frankly quite beautiful) device.

The Level by FluidStance “is a work platform that elicits subtle, constant movement below your feet to increase your range of motion and heart rate. Developed primarily as a tool for your immediate workspace, it can be used in common areas of both the home and office, or as a complement to a stand-up desk. The patent-pending design allows you to change the overall aesthetics via interchangeable top decks, floating bumpers, and base plates.”

This is about more than just keeping the blood flowing – excessive sitting has been linked to heart disease, cancer and depression. Many design solutions already attempt to resolve this, from spring-like seats to active health balls used as chairs. FluidStance claims extensive testing behind their work and many people have already queued up to reserve on on IndieGoGo by way of pre-ordering. A healthy mind and healthy body are linked, but whether this is the solution to reconnect both in our everyday work lives will remain to be seen.

The post FluidStance: Desk Device Blends Best of Sitting & Standing first appeared on Gajitz.

It’s a rather widely-accepted fact that sitting all day isn’t great for your health, but standing all day won’t do your body any favors, either. People who stand at work for eight or nine hours a day are at risk for all kinds of musculoskeletal problems.

The Chairless Chair from Swiss company Noonee is a wearable chair of sorts. It attaches to the body at the waist, thighs, knees and shoes. The lightweight aluminum and carbon fiber exoskeleton allows for the full range of movement when it isn’t engaged, so workers can go about their regular business unimpeded.

When it’s time to stop moving and take some weight off of the legs, it’s as simple as settling into a comfortable sitting position and pushing a button that locks the Chairless Chair into that posture. All of the body weight is directed to the heel of the wearer’s shoes. The chair lets the user choose the position that’s most comfortable for them and encourages ergonomically correct posture, further reducing the risk for body stress-related injuries.

This wearable chair doesn’t give the user superpowers or increase their muscle strength in any way; it just takes the strain off of their lower extremities to combat muscle fatigue, poor posture, and long-term musculoskeletal damage. Noonee pictures the Chairless Chair being useful in a wide variety of settings, but for now their focus is on getting it into factories where workers have to perform various functions while standing for an entire shift.

The post Sitting is the New Standing: Wearable Chairless Chair first appeared on Gajitz.