This edition of Night Owl is not about a dog named Hamster, if that’s what you were thinking. While people have built hamster wheels big enough for their dogs to exercise on, as far as we know the following dog is not not named after the domesticated rodent:
Hamster wheels have been built for humans to exercise on as well. The form of exercise doesn’t have to be running or walking, as in the case of the circus acrobat who works out both inside and outside of the wheel:
If that wasn’t enough to impress, how ’bout the guy who set a 24-hour running endurance record on his self-built ”circular treadmill”. They say it replicates running uphill, all the way:
If pragmatism is more your speed, you’ll be interested to learn that some people have setup their human-sized hamster wheels to do work, such as generate electricity. In this off-grid cabin in Canada, they justly call the hamster wheel an ‘Energy Wheel’… the cabin has a bunch of other cool features as well (cued to start at 2:44):
Now for the idea that inspired this Night Owl, the “ultimate standing desk” – an awesome idea for those who want or need to stand while they work but find standing in one place tiresome or boring. (For details on the concept, the Mayo Clinic explains why a standing workstation is better than sitting, and how to arrange everything for optimal ergonomic benefit.)
The beauty of this arrangement is you can walk while you work and get your daily dose of the most widely recommended exercise while simultaneously preventing your legs and feet from getting bored and stiff (stiff as a board?) from just standing still in one place.
Here’s an idea. Gamers, or anyone who spends a great deal of time on the computer, might appreciate a hamster wheel with a chair attached inside such that the user would be on their back looking up when the chair was at the bottom of the wheel. The wheel could be turned by an electric motor to rotate the chair to the inclined position most favored by the user, like a high-tech version of the so-called anti-gravity chair. The computer display would be attached to the chair by an arm, fixing the monitor in front of the user no matter where the chair moved along the circumference of the wheel. The user’s neck and posture would benefit most since gravity would prevent slouching or the head from leaning forward which causes the dreaded neck hump. Just an idea.
Question Of The Night: What non-traditional goods would you adapt/convert for your use, human?
