I just got back from an ergonomic conference* in Orlando, Florida. We had a booth and did demos of our stretching software, StretchWare. StretchWare reminds you to stretch at your computer; the stretches appear on-screen at chosen intervals during the day.
This was the first time we’ve exhibited the software publicly, and the response was extraordinary. We developed the software 9 years ago and it seems the world has caught up. Suddenly people seem aware of the importance of computer users taking care of their bodies. In a funny way, it seems to parallel the “green” consciousness of the times. We had a constant stream of people at our booth for the entire two days. I have over 50 business cards from ergonomic managers who want to test it. Some of the companies: Honda, Intel, Boeing, Monsanto, Alcoa, Hewlett-Packard, Traveler’s Insurance, GE, Armstrong, Mitsubishi… heavy hitters.
These people didn’t have to be sold; they were at the conference because they’ve already recognized the value of promoting employee health — it was preaching to the choir.
We’ve been selling site licenses (for all employees of a given firm) for years (click here and look in the right hand column for a list of companies using it), but this is a whole new octave. It seems as if the general consciousness has changed.
StretchWare is based on our book Stretching, by Bob and Jean Anderson. It’s sold over 3 million copies worldwide and is in 24 languages. StretchWare is a great little program. It works in both Mac and Windows, is robust (written in C++), small in footprint, intelligently designed (ahem, ahem), and is based on the experience of a world-class stretching authority (unlike any of the competing programs).
*11th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference
Shameless Commerce Dept.: If you work for a company and are interested in you and your fellow workers trying StretchWare, we’ll send you the program free to try out. Or, there’s a free 30-day download of the entire program here.
