Every day, I’m checking Kickstarter for new cloud-based services, and I feel that the number of IoT devices and tools has increased recently.
IoTs revolution aims to bring greater efficiency to our lives and work, and I really believe that it can make people’s lives more enjoyable and stress free.
So, for this post, I’m focusing on the IoT and the workplace. I tried collecting together a bunch of products that might make work more efficient and snappy.
Some of these products are still in beta phase, so bear in mind that they may not be able to by purchased immediately.
- Robin to help manage your meeting rooms
Robin makes it possible to check in real time what meeting space is being used in your office, using an iBeacon sensor.
In addition, the iBeacon sensor can link with Android / iPhone, so you can know who is in which meeting rooms, wherever you are. Whit Robin, you can quickly duck off to an empty space with your colleagues to hold a meeting without having to book a room in advance, or disturb meetings that may be in progress. It will also let you know what colleagues are already in meetings, and where they are. This is especially useful for large office spaces.
2. Your desk becomes you secretary with Stir
Stir is a smart desk that will inform you of your daily movement and will inform you when to stand or when to sit.
A tablet-like touch screen is embedded on the surface of the desk, you can adjust the desk’s height manually, or according to the “Whisperbreath” which creates a slight movement of the desk, up or down. This should not disturb you, but lets you know when to stand and when to sit.
This “stir” works in cooperation with a Fitbit which automatically tracks your heart rate, sleep time, etc. It also functions as a login type device, so the desk knows it is you nearby, and will respond accordingly.
3. Smart tags make sure you don’t lose the important things
https://www.makuake.com/project/qrio-smart-tag/
The “Qrio Smart Tag” is a small accessory that connects users’ precious things to smartphones.
By communicating through a smartphone via Bluetooth, you can quickly find missing items by sounding a smart tag buzzer from a special application or by checking the map.
The “Qrio Smart Tag” is a product expected on sale as it gathered more than 20 times the requested Kickstarter funds.
4. Use a Smart Lock to digitize security
The IoT is already familiar with smart locks.
With Akerun, you can have their special locks installed instead of your regular locks — and they are easy to install too! It saves money on key production, and security worries related to lost keys or keycards. Just swipe your phone or special Akerun card and you are in. You can then lock and unlock your doors remotely. No more forgetting to lock up, and no more getting stuck outside your home or office!
5. A Healing Robot that keeps quiet
http://seihinbu.pos-tec.jp/jpt-tengu/index.php
Finally, we have a slightly different device. It is a robot that changes facial expression according to what it hears.
This robot doesn’t tell us the weather forecast or traffic reports though…
It’s a robot that simply listens and responds accordingly. It can be quietly comforting knowing someone is there, listening to you, when others may not be.
Summary
Although there are a lot of IoT devices emerging these days, there are likely to be some interesting business-oriented products you might want to invest in. For a bit of fun, consider scouring Kickstarter for something you might want to back financially.
If you want a great heatmapping tool, try out Ptengine! It’s free!
