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Human hamster wheel: So you thought you worked hard

Standing desks are so 2013, according to an article in Discovery News. Why just stand, when you can walk – or even run, while you work. 

The Hamster Wheel Standing Desk was developed by Robb Godshaw and Will Doenlen from San Francisco’s Pier 9 workshop in a 24-hour session.

The wheel has a desk slotted through it and runs at the natural speed of the user’s stride. If you believe the spiel, it encourages those inside “to keep on keeping on”.

It is not only ergonomically sound (a way to avoid “inhumane chairs and stagnant standing desks for you to use while you struggle to get through a workday full of distractions and bodily pains”, Goddshaw says, but practical too, with safety being a critical factor.

“Once the desk is inside of [the wheel] it’s much easier to control because you have something to hold onto and something to stop with.” 

Future versions might include some type of brake.

If you fancy making one yourself, the inventors shared the how-to video on the Instructables website. You will need “four sheets of ¾-inch plywood, four skate wheels, two pipes, 240 wood screws, a pint of glue, and a good attitude”.

Enjoy.

Chief editor at Idealog, Nikki's a veteran in the journalism industry. A former lecturer at AUT University, she was the chief reporter at NZ weekly business publication The Independent and was deputy editor of Canadian publication Unlimited magazine.

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