By Roland Piquepaille
It's Monday morning and you have a meeting with your boss. You want to ask for a better computing environment because your back still hurts from your last 60-hour working week. You know what you want: a Masterpeace.But will your boss pay for it?
Or maybe it's your spouse who will sign the check for one of these ergonomic workstations from Personal Computing Environments (PCE).
Whatever the case, be prepared to argue a bit and be convincing. These combination chair-computer don't come cheap. They start at $4,000 and can go up to $10,000.
Before going further, how do they look?
Here is the Peacemaker, starting at $4,000.
And this is the Masterpeace, which costs from $7,000 to $9,000.
In order to help you to present your request, here are some references.
Space.com wrote a story about the PCE workstations, "Peace Be With You: The All-Around Ergonomic Chair Has Arrived."
The ultimate in ergonomic workstations isn't just a fancy chair or keyboard. It's a veritable cage of computing designed to provide the most comfort for computer users.
Unlike other takes on ergonomics that focus mainly on one piece of equipment, the Peace One series by Personal Computing Environments attempts to reduce repetitive stress injuries from long-term computer use from a whole body's perspective.
And Nancy Weil wrote this following column during last Comdex, "Take a Seat in the PC Chair."
The four fellows behind PCE -- which has as its logo the peace dove -- say they have created a new environment for work and gaming (take your pick). Building on the PCE logo, the combination chair-computer comes in models called Peacemaker (starting at $4000) and Masterpeace ($7000). The ergonomic gizmos are designed to position you with your feet up and your back and arms supported, with one or two (or more) flat-panel displays positioned at just the right spot. A keyboard swings into place at just the right height, and a little mouse shelf is positioned just so, to eliminate arm fatigue and repetitive strain.
"Human beings were not designed to sit in this environment," said PCE President and Chief Operating Officer Allan Quattrain, demonstrating by tapping the air over an invisible keyboard. "You got the carpal tunnel, you got the repetitive strain, you got the lower back pain, you got the upper back pain, you got the eye strain. We want to eliminate that."
A final note: if you're convincing enough to get one of these workstations, I'm asking you for a favor. Please tell your boss or spouse that I also want one: my wife is not ready to pay for one.
Sources: Tariq Malik, Space.com, February 27, 2003; Nancy Weil, IDG News Service, November 19, 2002