InventorSpot

Just looking at the design for El ZULO, Spanish for "the hideout," makes me sleepy. Instead of putting my head down right here at my desk and catching a few zzz's before my stiff neck and back cry "Oooh, that hurts!," I imagine myself mustering just enough energy to get up, move a few feet away from my desk, and assume a similar, but ergonomic, position in this peaceful, padded, perfectly positioned chair pod for my power nap.

El ZULO was designed by Frank Ehners as an industrial design project for his coursework at the Halle University of Art and Design in Germany. Though intended for an office setting, the power napping pod makes perfect sense for those of us that work at home, doesn't it?

But, with respect to Mr. Ehners' diligence, he has incorporated all the necessary features for multiple users -- like fingerprint settings for back, knee, foot and head positions for each person who uses it. He also allows for soft, sanitary, individual covers for the headrest and other contact parts of the seating area.

Power napping has been touted for many years as the best way to recover energy mid-day, so don't be surprised if progressive productivity managers don't start looking for design solutions -- the dirty old couch in the lunch room is not the answer! The 20 to 30 minute power nap, according to sleep experts, works to restore energy better than a longer nap, because it is easier to wake up afterwards, the napper not having experienced a deep REM sleep in a short time period.

Oh, manufacturer of el ZULO, wherever you are, make it affordable! Please?