Posted on 03/15/2017 1:48:23 PM PDT by pa_dweller
Tasked with helping design a shovel for women, the Penn State University graduate student watched a few of them digging, and felt embarrassed for them.
"They are all digging wrong," he whispered to Liz Brensinger as they observed the volunteers pushing a shovel into the ground. As part of the design process, they videotaped scores of women farmers and gardeners. The most noticeable difference was the extreme angle of the shovel.
But, it wasn't the women who were wrong, it was the shovel, said Brensinger, co-owner of the company that commissioned the study.
"It wasn't what he was used to so he thought it was wrong," said Aaron Yoder, the former Penn State engineering professor who oversaw the graduate student. Yoder, an expert in designing tools and machinery for disabled farmers, has worked with Brensinger and her partner Ann Adams in developing several tools specifically for women.
Until Brensinger and Adams stepped in, tools marketed to women were usually modified flimsy children's tools, or men's tools painted pink. There was little research on what women needed, "Women use their lower body strength to make up for weaker upper body strength," Yoder said. "Typically, women have better lower body strength than men."
(Excerpt) Read more at readingeagle.com ...
"as they observed the volunteers pushing a shovel into the ground" pushing? and they weren't using their FOOT because???
sounds more like they don't know HOW to shovel
that and you pick with a pick and shovel with a shovel, that's why they say pick and shovel
W have a winner! Very few know how to properly use and maintain tools.
On what planet? Don't get me wrong, in a relative sense, that may be true (i.e., compared to a man's total strength), his legs may represent a lesser PERCENTAGE of his, compared to the percentage of a woman's total strength that HER legs represent. But to say that a woman's hips and legs are stronger than a man's, straight up, is fatuous.
I recall my grandparents using them, keeping the tall grass at bay. There's a certain beauty to the rhythm, when in use.
Fugetaboutit....:)
Worth a minute to view
tools for snowflakes?
is the shovel a tool to help make sandwiches?
FWIW, the author needs to learn the diff between a Sickle and a Scythe. :)
Absolutely.
Also, allow gravity to help by applying your body weight to the blade via the foot pads. Pushing with your arms is less effective.
Also, technique must match soil moisture and type. Hard packed, dry dirt is not handled the same way as loose, moist dirt.
Marvit said using the HERSHovel took some getting used to. She had to retrain her body. A lot of farming involves repetitive tasks, and it wears your body down. Having a tool that works with your body, Marvit said, makes a huge difference.
And men like it, too, she said.
"What's ironic about this shovel is that it's the first shovel grabbed by any of our helpers," she said. "They ask 'Where's that lady shovel?' It's efficient and effective and easier on one's body.
"I love the wider step, It gives you better leverage in digging. With a conventional shovel I would have to jump on it to get it in good and deep. I love how they designed it curved: It's not only excellent at cutting in, but it is also like a scoop."
Yoder, the engineer, agreed that people with various body types can use it, too. Older or smaller stature farmers and gardeners like it.
"I like to tell people it is designed for women but smart men can use it too," Yoder said.
Heckuva pair of, um, shoulders she’s putting into that swing as well.
Is that a Slingblade or a Kaiser Blade?
Interesting article, but it reads like a stealth advertisement.
Absolutely not true. A true statement would be
"The quadriceps muscle is the only muscle in females that comes close to parity of strength".
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