In most underdeveloped and developing countries, the anthropometric dimensions of users are not deployed in classroom furniture design. This has severe health as well as learning implications. The aim of this study was to determine the ergonomic suitability of classroom furniture at the

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Exercise bicycles are used for kinesiological activities; to increase general fitness, and for training for cycling events. They are also used for weight loss. The aim of this study is to produce a special exercise bike which allows for both upper and lower limbs pedalling either independently or otherwise. The manufacturing processes employed in the design involved the use of AutoCAD design suite and other production engineering processes which included material selection and acquisition, cutting, welding and drilling. The device was tested for both comfort and effectiveness for cardiac rehabilitation using the rate of heartbeat as the test parameter. A strong positive correlation was found (p<0.001; r=0.962) between the two heart rate tests. An ergonomic evaluation of the bi-modal exercise bike showed 98% suitability of the seat-pedal height with the knee height of the study population and 100% suitability of the seathandle post height with the buttock-knee length of the population. In conclusion, the goal of developing a bi-modal exercise bike that permits simultaneous upper and lower limbs pedalling was realised.

BACKGROUND: Classroom furniture designs have been implicated in musculoskeletal disorders among school age persons due to high level mismatches between the furniture dimensions and users’ anthropometrics. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to analyze classroom furniture ergonomics at selected primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria and to understand if there are noticeable patterns in the match/mismatch. METHOD: Anthropometric measures relevant to furniture design were obtained from primary and secondary school children as well as from university undergraduates. The dimensions of classroom furniture available to the participants were also taken and an assessment of the suitability of the furniture was completed. RESULT: The ergonomic evaluation of the classroom furniture available to the study participants revealed enormous discrepancies between the furniture dimensions and the anthropometric measures of the users. In addition, a pattern was observed in the way the matches/mismatches occurred. The furniture dimensions that matched majority of the users tend to match across the three categories and those that did not match majority of the students, also followed the same pattern. CONCLUSION: The study presents remarkably high levels of mismatches between classroom furniture and users’ anthropometrics and therefore calls for a review of the policies for classroom furniture design in Nigeria, if at all any policy exists.