The 'human motor' concept applied industrial efficiency and thermodynamic laws to human body movements.

In the late nineteenth century, a new science of work emerged. Historian Anson Rabinbach details how scientists and factory owners began viewing the human body as a thermodynamic engine. They called it the 'human motor.' Through time-and-motion studies, they analyzed every muscle twitch to defeat fatigue and maximize output. This industrial discipline quickly bled out of the factories, reshaping how society viewed physical movement in everyday life, entertainment, and artistic performance.