Written on September 26, 2008 – 2:58 pm | by Maria Mihale |


The upright position is the most natural for the human being ever since the first forms of life on earth. But the most modern people prefer to sit. This is a widely spread tendency and it's visible right about everywhere: in offices, colleges, schools and libraries, where over 95% of people slouch while sitting and often when standing also.

Surfing the web is one of the main reasons why modern people enjoy sitting so much these days and is as bad for the health as “insidious” smoking, for example. Professor Marc Hamilton of the University of Missouri says that those millions of workers who sit at desks for hours are increasing their chances of heart diseases, Type 2 diabetes and obesity. And guess what? People neglect the impact of sitting too much and they become “unaware potential victims”.



That is why we should consider more and more the value of the ergonomics, because the number of people suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, a medical condition in which the median nerve is compressed at the wrist and causes pain, paresthesias and muscle weakness in the hand. Don’t try to find the cause of the plague of repeated wrist syndrome beyond your computer, because the mouse is the source of all evil. The device contributes to carpel tunnel and precautionary measures must be immediately taken unless you long for some metal bands on your hands.

Humanscale, largely known for their cool looking office chairs, announced the release of a new product called Switch Mouse, an innovative ergonomic mousing solution that aims to reduce stress injuries. This groundbreaking peripheral device features a V-shaped base that puts the user’s wrist and forearm at an optimal 45-degree angle and a symmetric design ambidextrous use. This is great news for all of the left-handed out there, since most mice are designed for right-handed people.



In addition, the Switch Mouse features a size adjustability to provide a custom fit for any computer user, a built-in palm support for proper mousing posture, so that the stress on the wrist could be prevented. There is also a four-way scrolling dish which prevents injuries from constant scrolling and three programmable button for user-specified functions.

Designed to accommodate natural arm positions, reduce repetitive motion stress and provide customizable function and comfort for all computer users, the Switch Mouse picked up three noteworthy awards during 2007. The revolutionary ergonomic mousing device earned a Gold Award in the 2007 Best of NeoCon competition, the Grand Prize in the Product Innovations Awards presented by Buildings magazine and the top nod for Best Ergonomic Solution at Mixology07, an award program sponsored by U.K.-based mix interiors magazine.

The plug-and-play Switch Mouse is based on an optical scanning technology and a USB connector. In addition, it works with Windows Vista and Mac OS X, but it’s also compatible with Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP and Mac OS 9.

The Switch Mouse is available on ergodirect.com for an amount of $99.00.

(Source coolest-gadgets.com)