CUTLERY | archistrialdesigns

CUTLERY / BLADE DESIGN by Henry Haneda

BIONOMICS EFFECT KNIVES 2021.

by Henry Haneda + International Team

Engineered in the United States

Santoku Knife : ＊VG-2 17cm Blade Length. 68,000yen(w/o Tax)

Chef Knife : ＊VG-2 20cm (8" Blade Length) 78,000yen (w/o Tax)

*VG-2 Metal= Super Gold 2 (Takefu Special Steel/ made in Japan)

Dual Type Grip : Recycled paper composite Handle & 3D Printed Composite w/Protein Finish Handle also available natulal wood too.

Custom grips for extra small and large hand sizes can also be manufactured for 3-4 weeks at no additional cost. email us at archistrial@gmail.com

Here, I have omitted the explanation because I didn't need to explain the basics such as the metal for cutting tools (VG-2) and the grip material (natural resin coating Wood, FDA approved recycled cellulose composite and etc.).

First of all, I would like to explain the history of this product's Bionomic grip. This is because the etymology of Bionomics is derived from the combination of Bio and nomics (work or function), which was coined by our designer and anatomical engineer Henry Haneda in the early 1980s.

This questioned the ambiguity seen in ergonomics design, which became an advertising modifier at that time, and performed the act of discovering a certain form through more precise analysis, implementation, and verification, and made Bionomics Design Products at that time. It was to differentiate from the product, which is the general ergonomics of.

We have been researching the design development of knives since1980s, and in the mid-1980s we made many types of knives with a Bionomics Concept. Then, in the 2000s, Haneda patented a knife for the invention of the palming grip, and since then he has designed many chef knives and has won many design awards, especially in the United States. However, many were designed for professional chefs and healthy people, not for those who find it very painful to use a kitchen knife.

We started by discovering a new form for how to minimize the pain of being able to use it on a daily basis for people in difficult cooking situations. And there was an interesting discovery. For many people who suffer from pain, the way to open the thumb, which is the basis for gripping things, and the way to grip around the grip axis are often the strongest feeling of thumb pain. However, these people also noticed that the pain disappeared or became easier when the thumb was held closed without opening, and as a result of trial production, it was found that the effect was great. This was achieved by setting a thumb rest on the other side of the grip. Not only that, the grip thus completed was able to be firmly gripped with the index finger with only two fingers, the thumb and little finger. This grip now has a lot of potentials.

2019 BIONOMICS MODEL
(Chicago Athenaeum Museum 2019 The Good Design Award)

Professional Chef Knife 20cm (8" Blade Length) 　　　$780+shipping
Blade Metal : Super Gold 2 (Takefu Special Steel/ made in Japan)
Dual Grip Type Handle
Grip : Recycled paper composite Handle & 3D Printed Composite w/Protein Finish Handle

BIONOMICS CHEF KNIFE PROJECT 2019~

The BIONOMICS cutlery project addresses the issue of repetitive motion injury often developed by chefs. Henry Haneda, a leader in bionomics design has researched the subject for many years and has significant achievements in the field. This kitchen knife projects a joint effort by US and Japanese teams who have extensive experience in kitchen work.

Kitchen knives are a combination of cutting edge and grip. There are very few grips that have been functionally studied, and they come in various forms that are made up of ideas rather than functional ones. These grips dictate a position where there is a significant bend at the wrist joint when the knife is held in a straight line with the blade. The degree of bend is higher people larger than lower people. If the person continues working over a long period a part of the cartilage in the wrist joint is worn, causing pain and eventual inability to use the wrist.

Working in such an unnaturally crooked state causes many injuries. It forces an unnatural posture, causing eventual arm and back pain. Many chefs who have had surgery for back injuries.

The products we developed that won the Good Design Award in 2016 and 2017 have had a great effect because the knives diminished bend at the wrist joints. However, those designs have been improved upon by addressing hand twist. Globally, the standard way of holding a knife is with the blade held tightly between the index finger and the thumb, and the hand is twisted about 90 degrees so that the back of the hand is facing upward.

Our innovative new grips are palmed to ensure a stable holding position with the little finger. This improves the ability to work comfortably for longer periods. However, this does not resolve the issue of using the hand in a twisted position.

There has been a long trial and error process to design a stable easy-to-hold grip that minimizes the burden on the hands and arms for when the knife is gripped with a twisted hand. The solution is a grip designed to accommodate two gripping positions. Addressing the global standard of a twisted-hand side grip is a palm retention design shaped for the ideal healthy grip and, for the pinching grip used by most chefs, the design incorporates a shape that accommodates upper palm retention as well as shapes for comfortable pinching.

The BIONOMICS cutlery project has succeeded in producing this unique kitchen knife which addresses the issues of wrist bend and hand twist while also accommodating both the global standard grip method and the typical chefs’ pinching grip method. There has never before been a knife grip like this.