Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Science & Technology > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Science & Technology

Is this what we will look like in 20 years' time ?

By T.K. Randall
October 30, 2019 · Comment icon 25 comments

Could this really be a taste of things to come ? Image Credit: Fellowes
Researchers have created a life-sized model of what the typical office worker of the future might look like.
Named Emma, this unnerving representation of a woman who has spent most of her life sitting at a desk in front of a computer was put together based on a new report which looked at survey data collected from 3,000 workers across France, Germany and the UK.

Entitled 'The Work Colleague of The Future', the report was compiled by a team of health experts and headed up by behavioral futurist William Higham.

The life-sized model that they came up with exhibits numerous ailments associated with bad posture and a lifetime spent working in a typical modern office environment.
These include a permanently disfigured back, swollen ankles, a stress-related skin condition, excess weight, varicose veins and dry eyes, among other things.

"Unless we make radical changes to our working lives, such as moving more, addressing our posture at our desks, taking regular walking breaks, or considering improving our workstation setup, our offices are going to make us very sick," said Higham.

While it's important to note that the study was commissioned by Fellowes - an office furniture company - it is certainly true that most people spend far too much time sitting at a computer.

Whether we are all going to ultimately end up looking like Emma however remains to be seen.



Source: Science Alert | Comments (25)




Other news and articles
Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #16 Posted by moonman 4 years ago
Incredibly dumb all around. Obviously we won't look like that in 20 years, unless mandatory neck disfigurement becomes commonplace in the office. Just some "shock value" BS.
Comment icon #17 Posted by tmcom 4 years ago
Damn, Climate Change.
Comment icon #18 Posted by psyche101 4 years ago
They are definitely inferring that. It's about as valid as lamarckism is the point though.  “This drawing uses Lamarckian evolution theory to predict  the result of future human evolution. Lamarck’s discredited theory proposed that living things evolved out of necessity. So, this future human exhibits features accordingly. This drawing is utterly inconsistent with present-day, Darwinian evolution theory. Instead of making predictions based on strident presumptive logic, modern evolution theory recognizes the power of unpredictable environmental circumstances that have the potential to pr... [More]
Comment icon #19 Posted by lightly 4 years ago
The biggest change in human anatomy that we can see...is the fact that, generally, we are getting taller.  Mostly, this is happening very quickly/recently and yet ,I see absolutely no reason for it.  We see evidence of it by looking at suits of armor in museums, whether Japanese or European.   Is there an understandable explanation for our rather suddenly getting taller ?
Comment icon #20 Posted by XenoFish 4 years ago
Mostly likely it's due to better diet....though wal-mart makes me question if we're gaining girth. 
Comment icon #21 Posted by XenoFish 4 years ago
I think I know that guy 
Comment icon #22 Posted by DieChecker 4 years ago
In 20 years are we even going to have to sit to work? Will we even use desks? Will we use screens? Lot of assumptions here. Probably in 20 years, office workers will go into a dry gel tank with a jack into their head and do everything in VR, with a robot as their hands if needed. Then climb out in the evening and ride the rolling sidewalks home.
Comment icon #23 Posted by lightly 4 years ago
That might make perfect sence.  I'd considered that, and was expecting someone to say it....but I still don't quite understand why that would cause increased height.    Girth?   Yes..I'd attribute that to less exercise in modern life.  ?
Comment icon #24 Posted by Farmer77 4 years ago
I think the change in lifestyle which has eliminated labor at a young age , and entirely throughout their lives for some, has a lot to do with it. Without the constant degeneration in the joints, bones and soft tissues caused by wear and tear our bodies are able to reach their full potential.  
Comment icon #25 Posted by Ernest 4 years ago
A four day work week would be best


Please Login or Register to post a comment.


Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Recent news and articles