Do calculators have a place in the age of smartphones? As it turns out, not only do calculators have a place in the modern world but they are actually a critical tool for performing specific jobs. How critical? Well, let’s just say that it is important enough for Casio to want to carry out a study to determine the usage and needs, and use the results to develop the Casio Ergonomic Calculator JE-12D/DE-12D. I know.
At a glance, the Casio Ergonomic Calculator JE-12D/DE-12D looks like just any Casio calculator but rest assured it is not. It most certainly is not a smartphone disguised as a calculator. The improvement of this calculator is in the ergonomics as suggested by the product name.
During the development of the calculator, Casio worked with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) [JP] to study the conditions of a person using a calculator.
The study uses high-tech motion capture to record and analyze every single detail, right down to finger movement and posture, key pressing direction, and believe it or not, muscle activity.
Based on the ethos of the calculator should conform to the user, not the other way round, and focusing on the condition of “use with 3 to 5 fingers on the right hand” yielded from the study, a calculator with a 3-degree tilt was devised.
From the top, the Casio Ergonomic Calculator JE-12D/DE-12D looks like any old (but sleek) calculator but from the bottom, it was revealed that the keypad is higher on the user’s left (the device’s right) and gradually slopping to the right.
Interestingly, the keys aren’t tilted. Instead, it adopts an ergonomic staircase key – so called because the keys looked like a staircase from the side – thus allowing the fingers to strike the keys from the vertical direction. The tilted design and the staircase keys realized a natural position for the right hand when quickly inputting numbers.
Aesthetically, the Casio Ergonomic Calculator JE-12D/DE-12D adopts a curved surface, giving it a soft design and it has a groove bottom for better grip when holding it and when it is placed on a table.
The Casio Ergonomic Calculator JE-12D/DE-12D is available to buy in Japan in two sizes: small and desk, priced at 10,450 yen and 11,000 yen (roughly US$71 and US$75), respectively.
All images courtesy of CASIO [JP].
