Design of 3DOF Footrest to Increase Comfort of Computer Workstation

In recent years computer has become a tool that cannot be separated from our life. As long as we are working on computers, the comfort of the workstation become important since improper position leads to repetitive strain injuries. In this research avoiding discomfort is approached by making a workstation capable of changing working positions. So, a new workstation concept was designed to create a comfortable computer work experience in which a user can work in different working position at a single workstation. In this paper the design of the footrest and its effect in comfort of workstation is discussed. The footrest had 3 degrees of freedom and its positions were controlled by three linear actuators. Evaluation results in four different working positions showed that flexible footrest has a great impact on the comfort of seated computer work. It increased comfort in thigh, leg and foot relative to a standard workstation without footrest.