Table Of Content

Health and Medic~ne Ch own below is the Flogiston Chair, a ly" enter, explore and interact with a comput- - product designed to minimize internal er generated artificial environment. and external physical stress at work or The Flogiston Chair consists of two Lome. Developed by Scotland-born principal parts: the structure and the sup design engineer Brian V. Park (shown)a nd porting cushion. The aluminum structure marketed by Park's Flogiston Corporation, provides the mechanical support and shapes Webster, Texas, the chair incorporates NASA the posture. The cushion, covered with soft technology to provide a close fabric or leather, is cut from one piece of NASA HUMAN FACTORS RESEARCH CONTRIBUTED approximation of the ~ ~ lon~g memotry foam~ (simil~ar to thel foam used TO DEVELOPMENT OF A RELAXING CHAIR FOR Body Posture, the natural posi- in the Space Shuttle Orbiter seats), which HOME OR OFFICE tion a body assumes in weight- responds to body heat and pressure, softens less space. In such a posture, and feels as if it is molding to the body. The says Park, "all the muscular forces are in bal- chair may be fixed, rockable or suspended ance, the body is in biomechanical equilibri- from the ceiling; it comes in two standard um, physical stress is at a minimum." sizes, medium and large, and it can also be Flogiston Corporation sees as its customized to an individual fit. principal market for the chair the rapidly Brian Park credits NASA with a "key growing force of information workers who, role" in development of the Flogiston Chair. studies suggest, may Planning to design a chair for relaxation and encounter stress from meditation, he came across an article in working with computers. NASA Tech Briefs on the Neutral Body Computer users such as Posture, based on research in the Skylab designers, architects, manned orbital laboratory of the early 1970s. process control monitors, He wrote NASA requesting additional detail software developers and on the Skylab experience and received an data processors all require invitation to visit Johnson Space Center USC) high levels of concentra- from JSC engineer John Jackson. tion for extended periods; Jackson provided personal help and the chair is intended to documentation on the Neutral Body Position provide a suitable environ- and human factors in spacecraft design. Park ment for maintaining was also provided an Anthropomorphic concentration. Source Book, a three-volume compendium of In addition, the knowledge about the size, shape and motion chair has utility in the characteristics of the human body developed home for relaxed televi- by NASA as a comprehensive guide to work- sion watching, music lis- station design. Park drew on these and other tening, reading or general sources in designing the chair, whose posture meditation. And, Brian ultimately was a compromise between the Park suggests, the chair Neutral Body Posture and Sasavana, a Yoga offers an ideal base for posture of relaxation. virtual reality ventures, wherein one can "virtual-