Man creates desk that lets you use a computer while lying down
Ever been hard at work and thought: ‘I wish I was lying down on the floor right now’?
Same. But for many a year, if we wanted to put our backs flat on the floor, we’d need to take a pause from working… which isn’t looked upon favourably by most bosses.
Now, everything could be about to change, because one man has given the world what it so clearly needed: a desk that lets you use a computer while you’re reverse prostrate.
The Lying Down Desk is designed by Alex May, who came up with idea for a reason more valid than the laziness you might be expecting.
Alex has had chronic back issues since he was a teenager, and finds lying on the ground a helpful remedy.
Wanting to be able to use a computer – whether to work or to game – while on the floor, he tried all sorts of solutions to no avail.
After considering using a ceiling projector or VR goggles, inspiration struck. Rather than faffing about with all of that, he’d just mount a monitor to the underside of a table, facing the floor. Easy.
Alex got a friend to make up a prototype, which he has since been using for six months – to great success.
Now, he’s launched a Kickstarter with the aim of helping other people to buy or make the same thing, and, in theory, say goodbye to the need to be sitting in a chair to get stuff done online.
‘Doing a Kickstarter or running a small desk business was never my plan – I just wanted to be able to use a computer while lying down, as sitting is just too painful for me,’ said Alex. ‘But it turned out there was almost nothing on the market that anyone could buy, so I ended up designing one myself and applying for a patent for it.
‘I’m really happy with it and want others to also be able to easily use a computer while lying down, whether it’s because they have a physical impairment that makes sitting difficult or they just want to be more comfortable. It’s been a fun side-project to work on too.’
The desk isn’t just for lying down, mind you.
Alex, who works part-time for a small tech startup, coaches parkour, and writes about politics, designed it to work for sitting and standing, too.
The desk is split in half, with one section at the right height for a seated use of the computer, and the other with added height for standing.
Inside the standing section there’s a hole in the table and a shelf-like unit on top, which can have the monitor placed underneath it. When the computer screen is moved here, it’s 95cm from the floor, allowing the user to lie on the ground and look up at whatever they’re working on.
The keyboard can either sit on the lap or, as Alex recommends, a split keyboard can be placed directly on the floor, on either side of the hips.
If you’re reading this and thinking ‘I’d still rather be reading this while lying down’, you can contribute to the Kickstarter to help get more Lying Down Desks made, or order your own (with an expected shipping date of September 2022) for £625.
‘When I figured out that this was possible I was really happy, and it’s been a dream come true to use it for the last six months, I’ve been in much less pain than usual,’ adds Alex.
‘I want other people to be able to use a Lying Down Desk too, and launching via Kickstarter is a good way for people to support the idea and get a set of initial orders in.
‘Hopefully, in the future I will be able to use some of the profit to give desks away for free, as I don’t like the fact that we live in a society in which people without enough money aren’t able to get their basic needs met.’
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