Barefoot Flooring - Ergonomics
A DETAILED ERGONOMIC GUIDE FOR THOSE WHO STAND

Effective ergonomic matting must effectively respond to people. The effective response is a mechanical response.

Everything mechanical has a cycle, whether it's in-and-out, up-and-down, left-and-right or circular.

The ends of the cycle are called polarities - e.g. the furthest in, and the farthest out. Forseeing effective ergonomic models requires a look at the mechanical factors in matting and their polarities. Please consider the following.

 

MAJOR FACTORS

Cushion, the ability to comply under force, and Support, the ability to increase firmness under force, may sound mutually exclusive, but they are not. These two major factors are behind the performance of many products including struts, athletic shoes, shock absorbers, mattresses, tires and anti-fatigue matting.

If cushion (Factor A) and support (Factor B) are at opposite ends of a cycle, let's point out some obvious rules.

Polarity

Rule 1. In general and within extent, the higher the degree of polarity (distance between ends) within an ergonomic model the more effective that model can be.

Symmetry

Rule 2. Effective ergonomic models depend largely on the symmetry between reciprocal ergonomic factors.

Point of Symmetry

Rule 3. The Point of Symmetry is the effective measure of mechanical performance. Beyond the point of symmetry, the factor in excess is largely ineffective. Greater imbalance between ergonomic factors becomes increasingly detrimental to the model as a whole.

 

Cycle Time

Effective ergonomic models must consider the cycle time. It is pointless to have high degrees of polarity and symmetry if the mechanism fails to respond within the timing of the force - the person. Resilience is a good indicator of cycle time.