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This cordless Secateur from Bosch – the Ciso – is one of new range of body energy saving devices that raise some interesting questions about how much more sedentary our lives can become.

In Australia we’re experiencing an increase in the average house footprint with a corresponding decrease in the size of the average suburban block.

But even with shrinking gardens and smaller lawns, we’re also seeing a corresponding increase in the number of energy-saving devices that reduce our level of  physical exertion.

Everything has become powered these days. We now use hedge trimmers and leaf blowers where once we just got out the broom or large secateurs. And it’s taking a toll on our physical health.

While cordless secateurs are a great invention for those suffering from an impairment or injury that restricts their full range of motion, there are concerns whether there is really enough demand to produce such a product.

There’s an old saying – use it or lose it .  Over a lifetime, being sedentary leads to the possibility of insufficient grip strength to perform even simple tasks. Muscles atrophy and waste away through inactivity.

A common test to determine someone’s biological age is the “Grip strength” test.  Using a pair of secateurs is one practical example where a deterioration in grip strength affects a simple task such as pruning a rose bush.

And with concerns about the implications of global warming and conspicuous consumption, a great way to reduce the impact on the planet of landfill and the associated disposal of toxic chemicals from batteries – and keep our grip strength into old age -  is to use our plain old, battery-free secateurs.

Written by Andrew Talati

Well I have seen it all, now we have a new device to save you having to use any form of physical exertion, the electric eraser.

With the never ending array of devices to make us more sedentary, from gardening leaf blowers to kitchen appliances, there is something for everyone to reduce even the smallest amount of energy expenditure.

At the end of the day it is more of a novelty item but given this product is aimed at children, is this sending out a positive message?
Like anything in life, if everything around you helps support a healthy lifestyle, you are more likely to succeed by surrounding yourself with this positive reinforcement.

Even having something as simple as an electric eraser is sending out the wrong types of messages, no matter how small. Eventual all of these small messages create an overall direction of where you are heading and the actions you take.