Just because your furniture is stationary doesn’t mean you ought to be. The latest company to tap into our fitness craze isn’t a fitness company at all, but rather upscale furniture maker Herman Miller. On Sunday, June 11, the global design manufacturer debuted what it calls “the first human-centered, enterprise-ready system of connected furnishings to enable the workplace to more deeply engage with people.” It’s called Live OS, and it basically serves as an activity tracker for what you do at your desk.
Included in the new product release is both an app and a dashboard that promises employers data-based insights to better gauge their employees’ needs in the workplace. “Live OS is an example of how Herman Miller continues to evolve to better serve our customers as they increasingly look to the workplace to drive their own business transformation,” said Greg Bylsma, president of Herman Miller North America. “With decades of experience in human-centered design, we’re introducing services like Live OS, to help our customers create workplaces that empower, energize, and perform.”
A number of Herman Miller pieces, including sit-to-stand and fixed-height standing desks, will be connected to Live OS, which means they’ll be fitted with sensors that are connected to the cloud by way of a secure cellular network. This, in turn, lets desks sense people, send data on how they’re being used, and respond to people based on their individual needs and preferences.
The company notes that its sit-to-stand desks will remember a user’s preferred posture, so all he or she needs to do is tap the desk control once, and the desk will adjust to the chosen and saved position. And to ensure that you’re not standing still for too long, the desk can also light up and vibrate every once in awhile, reminding you to move around.
While you’re standing at the desk, Live OS’ sensors send anonymized real-time data to its cloud storage space, where this information is analyzed and returned to employers for “evolving insights to enhance workplace performance.”
As Ryan Anderson, Director of Commercialization for Live OS, noted, “With the data insights captured through Live OS, organizations can better measure and manage workplace strategy to optimize real estate usage and improve employee experience. Our initial testing indicates that employees using Live sit-to-stand desks have become more active, transitioning between sitting and standing six times as often as previously recorded. We’re excited by these early results as we seek to improve comfort and encourage people to adopt healthier behaviors in the workplace.”
