Tiltdown To Type

Alan Hedge
Human Factors Laboratory
Cornell University
The most recent report on workplace injuries and illnesses from the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) states that in 1994 repeated trauma was associated with nearly two!thirds of
workplace illnesses such as carpal tunnel syndrome ("TS)# There were $$%&&& cases reported!!up 1&
percent from the pre'ious year# At an a'era(e treatment cost of more than )*&&& per case the incenti'e
for pre'entin( this type of injury is hi(h#
+re'ention efforts for "TS focus on er(onomic solutions intended to lower the stress put on the wrists
while workin( at a key,oard thus reducin( "TS incidence# A wide 'ariety of key,oards with inno'ati'e
desi(ns are now a'aila,le# Additional solutions include wrist rests and key,oard trays with adjusta,le
hei(hts# "ornell researcher Alan Hed(e director of the Human -actors .a,oratory in the "olle(e of
Human /colo(y has compared a 'ariety of com,inations of these technolo(ies with a new and ele(antly
simple approach!!a preset tiltdown key,oard tray#
0n the la,oratory Hed(e and his associates mechanically recorded the mo'ements of the wrists of office
professionals as they typed on 'arious key,oard confi(urations# The results of the comparisons confirmed
the researchers1 suspicions that the typists would e2perience less stress usin( the tiltdown key,oard
system# Howe'er it wasn1t until they could see the wrists in action that they (ot a clear picture of the
mechanism ,ehind this impro'ement#
3sin( new data 'isuali4ation techni5ues and the supercomputin( resources of the "ornell Theory "enter
they followed the mo'ements of each typist throu(h a standardi4ed acti'ity# They found that the wrist was
put into potentially stressful positions less fre5uently usin( the tiltdown tray (e'en with the con'entional
key,oard) than it was usin( any of the other com,inations studied#
The tiltdown key,oard tray shows (reat potential for pre'entin( injury from repeated trauma# 6The hei(ht
and an(le of the tiltdown key,oard tray system that we tested can ,e adjusted to create an optimum
key,oard arran(ement for any user workin( at almost any kind of furniture6 says Hed(e# 6The tray
system eliminates the main postural risks from ,oth key,oard and mouse use# Our ne2t step is to e2plore
how to ,est com,ine the tray system with inno'ati'e key,oards#6
Credits
"arpal Tunnel Syndrome
7orkplace .a,oratory
The 8eutral 9one
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
"arpal Tunnel Syndrome ("TS) is a common type of cumulati'e trauma disorder or repetiti'e strain
injury that affects office professionals who work at computer key,oards on a daily ,asis# "TS in'ol'es
swellin( of the tendons that pass throu(h a narrow passa(eway in the wrist (the carpal tunnel) and control
the fle2in( motion of the fin(ers# The tendons share this narrow channel with the median ner'e which
passes impulses ,ack and forth to the first three fin(ers and the lower portion of the thum,#
7hen the wrist is repeatedly o'ere2tended either the tissue sheath co'erin(s of the tendons or the
tendons themsel'es that pass throu(h the carpal tunnel ,ecome irritated and swell# "ontinued irritation
can cause these tissues to thicken permanently# :ecause the space within the carpal tunnel is limited
constrained ,y the wrist ,ones and li(ament tissue this swellin( and;or thickenin( of the tendon tissues
puts pressure the median ner'e causin( tin(lin( pain and e'entually ner'e dama(e that can ,e
disa,lin(#
The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome may ,e(in with num,ness and;or tin(lin( in the hand# Another
common symptom is discomfort in the affected arm!!that may reach as far as the shoulder!!while
sleepin(# Treatment ran(es from rest and physical therapy to sur(ery in se'ere cases# The procedure
permanently se'ers the li(ament surroundin( the tunnel#
The System
The Syndrome
and The Solutions
Affected Nerves
Shown is the system of ner'es affected ,y carpal tunnel syndrome#
Within the Carpal Tunnel
Tendons and the the median ner'e are ,ound to(ether at the wrist ,y the trans'erse li(ament# <epeated
irritation of the tissues within this ti(ht space leads to carpal tunnel syndrome# Shown ,elow are details of
the structure of the tunnel and of tendon sheaths tenosynno'ium tissue swollen in response to repetiti'e
stress#

Workaday Lab
/r(onomists employ scientific methods to study the psycholo(ical social physical and ,iolo(ical
interactions ,etween people and their homes and workplaces# They use this information to impro'e the
desi(n of e'erythin( from office chairs to kitchens# Hed(e1s (roup has focused on analy4in( computer
key,oard confi(urations to ma2imi4e the operator1s producti'ity ,y minimi4in( fati(ue discomfort and
injury#
Hed(e has e'aluated the ,enefits of a tiltdown tray system in se'eral la,oratory and field research
studies# 0n the latest study Hed(e and Honeywell er(onomist =aniel >c"ro,ie studied more than ?&
professional office workers in their own workplaces in Ari4ona#
Hed(e1s team first recorded the motions of each worker as they worked at the computer in their current
work en'ironments# The data was (athered with state!of!the!art ,iomechanical measurin( e5uipment and
translated into dynamic records# 0n addition one mem,er of the research team e'aluated the posture of
each indi'idual while typin( and noted the workers1 personal assessments of their le'el of comfort while
workin(#
The team then pro'ided one (roup of workers with preset!tiltdown key,oard trays for their computers and
left# A few weeks later the researchers returned and monitored the (roups (test and a control (roup who
had not ,een asked to chan(e their ha,its) a(ain# These o,ser'ations were then compared with those
from the first 'isit#
Su,ject on Site
7orkplace .a,oratory
The Solution
Creative Keyboards
>any companies are de'elopin( inno'ati'e approaches for computer input# These ran(e from 'oice
control to 'ertical key,oards and e2otic furniture such as the chair shown ,elow# This chair incorporates
the key,oard into its arms# The keys are di'ided ,etween the two sides and each side is adjusta,le# As
part of his on(oin( research Hed(e tests these unusual solutions for efficiency comfort and safety#
An overhead view of the keyboards shows how they are configured. Below, a front view of the chair with
arrows that show the angle of adjustment for the keyboard arms.
Back Seat Typists
The research team 'isited the workplace and went from cu,icle to cu,icle s5uee4in( into the ti(ht
spaces# They monitored the Honeywell staff as each performed a task desi(ned specifically for the study#
The typist wore an electronic glove that was connected to a portable computer being operated by one of
the researchers. A second member of the team observed the typist's posture while a third recorded each
session on videotape.
Changing Habits
>any of the Honeywell employees in this study worked in cu,icles of similar si4es ,ut they laid out their
workspaces in se'eral different ways# Often workers set their computers up at the internal corners of the
spaces with the key,oards on the desktop# Human factors specialists ha'e known for years that such
desktop typin( confi(urations are stressful#
The position of the typists1 arms while workin( was much impro'ed after they ,e(an to use the preset!
tiltdown key,oard tray# The 'alue of this apparent correction (seen in the ,efore and after ima(es for the
staffmem,er ,elow) showed up in Hed(e1s test results#

Before
After
Typing in the Safety one
After usin( the new key,oard confi(uration for se'eral weeks the workers (a'e the new system positi'e
e'aluations# 8ot only did the results of the statistical analysis confirm their impressions ,ut inno'ati'e
'isuali4ation techni5ues allowed Hed(e and his associates to see how the new system works#
7orkin( with "ornell Theory "enter 'isuali4ation specialist :ruce .and Hed(e and his associate
Simonetta <odri5ue4 de'ised a way of watchin( an indi'idual type# :y trackin( the data in three
dimensions and relatin( the records to a neutral 4one of mo'ement deri'ed from (enerali4ed empirical
data they could see when and for how lon( the wrist was o'ere2tended in such a way that would place
stress on the carpal tunnel#
0n the 9one
Trackin( the Typist
@roup +icture
n the !one
Hed(e and his associates identified a safe or neutral 4one in the mo'ement of the typists1 hands# 7hen
the wrist was within this ran(e of mo'ement there was little stress on the carpal tunnel# This pro'ided a
conte2t for 'iewin( the results#
!ere you see that, for the individual subject represented in this image, use of the tiltdown preset
keyboard tray resulted in a dramatic reduction in potential damage to the subject's wrist. The pretest track
of the hand movement is shown primarily in red yellow represents the track followed while typing in the
new position. The color of each track changes to indicate that the typist has crossed over the boundary of
the neutral "one.
Typing in the !one
:y 'isuali4in( the mo'ement of the su,jects1 wrists in an a,stract set of three dimensions the
researchers were a,le to track wrist mo'ement in and out of the neutral 4one o'er the session# 0nstead of
con'entional $= space this ima(e was created in a sp ace that had time as the hori4ontal a2is#
The first image below shows before #red$ and after #yellow$ tracks for a subject that switched over to the
new keyboard configuration. The second represents the data from a control subject who simply typed the
same e%ercise on two separate occasions us ing the same system. The control subject rarely enters the
neutral "one while typing while the subject typing with the new system rarely leaves it.
"ooled #ata
7hile chan(e in the ,eha'ior of indi'idual su,jects was dramatic so was the o'erall effect of switchin(
key,oard systems# 7hen the data was pooled and collapsed in time so that all the mo'ements were
shown to(ether it ,ecame clear that usin( the new sys tem si(nificantly reduced the risk of injury from
"TS#
&ou see here a comparison of the typing behavior of a group of subjects before and after they used the
preset tiltdown keyboard tray. !igh peaks in the data represent positions fre'uently recorded in the
monitoring process. The translucent red block represents the danger "one((continued typing in this range
of movemnt is likey to cause CT). An eliptical wall below the data surface bounds the safe, or neutral
"one. *ata from the preliminary survey appears in yellow. The peaks from the second survey of the same
subjects are shown in blue. The movie linked to this image clearly illustrates the group's migration into the
safe "one.
/sta fi(ura representa o primeiro frame do AuickTime a se(uirB

(Auicktime 1#9 >,) +ara 'isuali4ar este (rCfico D necessCrio fa4er o download do 'Edeo em
httpB;;www#keensystem#com#,r;hp1$#html (@rCfico de comportamento de di(itaFGo)
Credits
Authors
>ar(aret "or,it <ichard @illilan and the researchers and their associates#
!llustrations
Transitional Animations:
=a'e Hoster ,ased on animations from
Down to Earth: "omputer animation techni5ues allow researchers to fly o'er the state to assess
local and re(ional distri,ution of suita,le ha,itats identify their ownership and;or look for patterns
in land use that mi(ht help them ,etter mana(e the state1s natural resources as we look toward
the ne2t century# Here you see that ur,an areas shown in white are few and far ,etween in the
-in(erlakes <e(ion of central 8ew Iork State# AnimationB "hris +elkie "T" for 8ew Iork @ap
Analysis +roject (8I@A+)
Living Things: The T. cru"i proto4oan spreads throu(hout the human ,ody 'ia the ,loodstream
in 'ictims of "ha(as1 disease# This parasite causes deterioration of internal or(ans especially the
heart muscle and chronic disa,ility# <ichard @illilan ("T") and "arlos -aerman ("ornell)#
Above and Beyond: Jisuali4ation of a spiral (ala2y ,y Koel +rimack at the 3ni'ersity of
"alifornia Santa "ru4# The colored points represent stars mo'in( under the influence of their
own (ra'itational attraction and that of a halo of in'isi,le dark matter# The colored lines represent
the paths of three different stars that mo'e far a,o'e and ,elow the (alactic disk unlike most of
the stars in response to its (ra'itational attraction#
Practical Particles: Jisuali4ation of a torus dancin( as it transforms from one topolo(y to
another# The torus represents the e2tra dimensions descri,ed ,y physicist :rian @reene in his
,reakthrou(h research on superstrin( theory# 7ayne .ytle ("T") for :rian @reene ("ornell)#
"o#n to $arth%%
Mapping the Gaps:
Jisuali4ations ima(es and animations taken from the 'ideo 6>appin( and Jisuali4in( the :iodi'ersity of
8ew Iork State6 ,y "hris +elkie ("T") for "harles Smith and Ste'e =e(loria ("ornell)#
J<>.B +elkie =an "ane and =an Switkin (,oth "ornell 19*)#
Over !nder and Aro"nd:
TAO array ima(es from +acific >arine /n'ironmental .a,oratory# Simulations of fluid flow (ima(es and
animations) ,y =a'id 8ewman "enter for "omputational -luid =ynamics :rown 3ni'ersity#
Living Things%%
Molec"lar #"randeros:
Jisuali4ations and ima(es from "arlos -aerman "ornell 3ni'ersity and <ichard @illilan "T"# Additional
ima(es courtesy of the 7orld Health Or(ani4ation# /lecron scannin( microsope ima(e of the parasite
pro'ided ,y Jictor 8ussen4wei( (8I3 >edical "enter)#
J<>.B @illilan "ane and Switkin#
$o"nding Li%e at $ea:
Jisuali4ations of the distri,ution of 4ooplankton in the sample area ,y "hris +elkie "T"# +hotos and
maps from the Ocean <esources 0nstitute# /lectron scannin( microscope ima(e of the copepod prey
courtesy of "harles @reene# -ish lar'a ima(esfrom the -ishery Oceano(raphy 0n'esti(ation at the
8ortheast -isheries Science "enter (8>-S!8/-S")#
Tiltdown %or Typing:
0ma(es from the sur'ey site deri'ed from 'ideotapes taken on site ,y Alan Hed(e and the research team#
Jisuali4ations created ,y :ruce .and "T" and Simonetta <odri(ue4 of the Human -actors .a, at
"ornell 3ni'ersity# 0llustrations of carpal tunnel physiolo(y courtesy of the >edical >ultimedia @roup# The
preset tiltdown key,oard is manufactured ,y +roformi2 0nc# 0ma(es of the floatin( arm key,oard courtesy
of 7ork+lace =esi(ns#
&ractical &articles%%
Tying &t All Together with $"perstrings
0ma(es and animations ,y 7ayne .ytle ("T") for :rian @reene ("ornell)#
To #atch a $tar:
Simulations and animated se(ments ,y Kohn =awson and his associates at 3".A# 0llustrations from the
+rinceton +lasma +hysics .a,oratory# >atterhorn photo(raph courtesy of mountain clim,er >ichael
7allin#
#ataly'ing #hemistry:
Simulations ,y Tom "undari 3ni'ersity of >emphis and his associates# 0ma(e and information on (as
hydrates in the +rudhoe :ay Alaska re(ion from Tim "ollet 3#S# @eolo(ical Ser'ice =en'er# 0ma(es of
the arctic plain from 3S @eolo(ical Sur'ey /<OS Alaska -ield Office#
Above and 'eyond%%
(ecipe %or a !niverse:
Simulations run on "$**& supercomputer at 8"SA# Jisuali4ations ima(es and animations ,y Koel
+rimack created at 0:> Almaden <esearch "enter San Kose "alifornia# Sky ima(e Hu,,le Space
Telescope#
Patterns in the Primordial #lo"d:
Simulations and ima(es ,y +aul :ode and /dmund :ertschin(er >0T# "O:/ ima(e courtesy of 8ASA#
/arly (ala2y ima(e courtesy of Hu,,le Space Telescope#