Could it be time for you to give your office a bit of an upgrade? The answer is more than likely, “yes.” But, in what way?
The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has shown us some amazing tech designed to improve the way that we work forever. It’s all about making the office a healthier and happier place to be, designed more around our human needs, rather than the utilitarian focus of the past.
Want to see some of the techs that are coming your way? Check this out.
Problem: Sitting For A Long Time
Vendors like Arnold’s Office Furniture are keenly aware of the problem of sitting for a long time on office chairs. As a result, they’re moving more and more towards offices that have a fundamentally different design, one where employees are able to move between different spaces to carry out different functions. It’s a novel idea, and one that’s taking off fast, especially in companies from Silicon Valley. It could even be called a piece of technology in itself, given all the positive benefits it could bring.
Now, though, app developers are looking at ways to imbue office chairs with sensors which can tell workers whether or not they’ve been sitting for too long. The idea is that sensors would track a worker’s movements, and then send notifications to their phone telling them that they should get up for a walk, or move to a different working location.
Problem: Slow WiFi
Another major problem in the office of late has been the slow speed of the WiFi. With so many devices all demanding bandwidth from a single router, data packets soon get piled up. Not to worry, a company called Linksys has developed a WiFi router which it claims takes user experience to a whole new level.
It’s got a blisteringly fast 1.73 gigabits-per-second bandwidth speed, meaning that it can outperform pretty much anything else out there on the market. Devices from Linksys come with a bunch of ethernet ports, USB connects as well as plenty of aerials to make sure that you get signal everywhere in your office.
Problem: Team Members Scattered Across Many Locations
A couple of years ago at the Singularity Conference, the hosts showcased what they called a “telepresence robot.” The robot was a prototype, but it was essentially a tablet screen on wheels that allowed a person on the other end of a Skype call to take a quasi-corporeal form. The robot itself was cute, but it wasn’t available to businesses – until now that it.
Double, just one of the many companies currently competing in the market, has launched it’s slimline telepresence robot. The robot itself is built on top of something that looks a lot like a Segway connected by a pole to something resembling an iPad. It’s designed to help people feel more connected to each other in office meeting rooms, even when one of the team members isn’t there.
Double say that the robot is a good idea when you have team members who are spread across multiple offices.
Photos: Richard Coshott, Wikimedia, Wikimedia
