Professor Gen Matsuzaki of the Faculty of Creative Engineering, Chiba Institute of Technology was selected for the 2022 Ig Nobel Prize in Engineering, which is given to achievements that make people laugh and think.This is the 16th consecutive year that a Japanese researcher has won the Ig Nobel Prize for research into how many fingers are used to turn cylindrical handles and knobs with one hand.
According to Chiba Institute of Technology, Professor Matsuzaki thought about expressing these unconscious actions in graphs and formulas, as people unconsciously operate the handles, knobs, and doorknobs around them.So he prepared 45 wooden cylinders of different diameters that mimic knobs and videoed and analyzed how many fingers people use to turn them.
As a result, we found that the number of fingers used increases as the thickness of the cylinder increases.Professor Matsuzaki says his research findings will be useful in the design of handles and knobs.
The award ceremony is held at Harvard University in the United States in September every year, but this year it was held online due to the corona disaster.Professor Matsuzaki commented, "With the advance of digitization, research on handles and knobs may be outdated, but I'm glad that your point of view was appreciated."
The Ig Nobel Prize was established in 1991.It aims to promote interest in science, medicine and technology by recognizing unusual research and imaginative achievements.
Paper information:[Research on Design Studies] Finger Usage in Rotating a Cylindrical Knob
