Do you know or work with someone who has a computer-related repetitive stress injury?
The main expression of RSIs is carpal tunnel syndrome, which can cause excruciating pain. The medical remedy is surgery but no matter how much a person may long for hand surgery it can take up to a year to work your way through the system to get it (anybody reading this can have my place in line!)
Ta-DA! An MBA who worked himself into Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by “mousing” for up to 70 hours a week during his student days at McGill University decided it was time for a technological solution. Enter THE AIR MOUSE!
It’s a wearable device and you have to see it to really grok it, so watch the video! It’s worthwhile because there’s a nice description of how one actually acquires Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and some detailed anatomical drawings (notice how brilliant the mouse is, in its mimicry of human anatomy!)
As a bonus, there’s also a pretty clear set of instructions unintentionally embedded for Feldenkrais practitioners — the video shows pretty succinctly exactly what you need to show your clients so they can learn to use the pointing devices that are already sitting on their desks in a way that will prevent the injury in the first place!
The good news is that at $150, people may think twice about it even if they’re waiting for surgery, and that gives them time to find a Feldenkrais Practitioner who can give them something else to do with a few hours every week so they can cut down on mousing in a way that gives them the side benefit of having the lessons!
By the way, I’m thinking about sponsoring a contest, to see who can predict the most likely injury the Air Mouse will cause while it’s busy preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! To submit your entry, you’ll have to prove that you use your mouse less than 70 hours a week!
