Floors are "much too flat"

It was being claimed today that a revolution in the way floors are designed could save a vast amount of misspent energy, time, and potentially reduce injury rates. Leading ergonomist Hals Friedland has published a research paper entitled 'Floors: Flaws and Wrinkles' in which he argues that flooring should not be smooth but uneven: contoured with ripples or composed of uneven blocks.

“A flat surface reduces the amount of traction that the bipedal human can achieve in relation to the flooring, especially when moving off.” said Mr Friedland in response to questions put to him. “The foot relies entirely on a small area of friction between a smooth sole of a shoe and a smooth floor to overcome the body's inertia. The same is true when the person wishes to stop. What is required is a small amount of corrugation with a tiny amount of give in it which will enable the foot to obtain an enhanced degree of purchase. Equally effective would be a blocked surface with small height differentials. All flooring should be redesigned in this way both domestically and in public spaces. It would reduce the amount of energy required to move about indoors and limit the number of injuries directly caused by slipping”

The suggestion was immediately condemned by some accident prevention organisations who were concerned that by overly concentrating on slips the proposals might increase the chances of trips.