Office wearables are for tracking productivity in employees. Seems like a good idea if you’re a CEO and want to know how much time is wasted per year per employee or if you’re a work-a-holic and have been praying for an increase in salary. However tracking your employees habits can be a bit stressful for your employees. Imagine having your every moment tracked and analyzed while on the job, in the bathroom, on lunch break, etc. Recently some companies have asked their employees to wear fitness trackers to determine who will receive a reward for healthy lifestyle (aka cheaper health insurance). Yes, a fitness tracker can motivate fitness; however some people just don’t care. However, wearables can benefit the work place in more ways than one. The diversity of jobs available is enormous. This article explains a vast array of practical wearables that now seem necessary for increased productivity, job happiness, and heath awareness.
WearKinetic has designed a wristable for those working in distribution. The wristable tracks when workers are lifting boxes or heavy materials in a correct or incorrect manor. If they are lifting incorrectly, the wristable will vibrate to bring awareness to the wearer. Combined with the wristable is a software program designed for managers to provide healthy solutions for their workforce. With the user-friendly software, managers are able to see safety analytics of individual workers.
Testing, testing, testing before heading out on a two week pilot! pic.twitter.com/NybfniJGEH
— Kinetic (@WearKinetic) 16. Mai 2015
DAQRI provides labor workers with a smart augmented reality helmet. The Smart Helmet is designed for construction, factory, and industrial workers. The smart helmet integrates live data from machine gauges; whether or not that machine is connected to the grid. Their user-interface only provides information when it is needed – minimizing distractions. DAQRI brain is IntelliTrack software. It has developed into the treasure chest of information for the smart helmet. IntelliTrack allows DAQRI to know what you are looking at, without ever seeing it before; thus, making the DAQRI Smart Helmet is ideal for workers completing a task for the first time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIU456jtkmw
XOEYE works to empower the industrial age. Their smart glasses are perfect for spotting opportunities to improve productivity. XOEYE features HD audio, camera, sensors, and operating system XOLinux. This device is accurate because of Vision, the glasses compatible software. Vision is user-friends. It works by combining all data from each laborer to provide managers with the appropriate statics of their workforce.
Youbiquo moto is knowledge you wear. A good tagline for a company that created augmented reality glasses for the enterprise market, i.e. maintenance workers, support technicians, and operations professionals. The glasses can listen to instructions, read documents, call for support, share task via video conference, and inquire company repositories. With the smart glasses, you can develop custom applications with their libraries on UB-SDK software kit.
Upright recently spoke at our WT | San Francisco Conference 2015. At the event they shared their back posture correction wearable e-sticker. The device is simple to use, while promoting wellness. The user simply sticks Upright on their lower back while sitting at work, home, or doing simple activities. Upright will vibrate whenever the user slouches; bringing awareness to poor posture. Evidence of proper posture is seen after a few weeks of wearing Upright for a few minutes each day.
Our very own CEO keynoting @WearableTech conference now! pic.twitter.com/QCUcMPsL3K — UpRight (@UpRightPose) 9. Juli 2015
Another San Francisco exhibitor is Team Turquoise. Their product, Doppel, is a wristable designed to enhance performance. It can naturally make you feel more alter or relaxed. Doppel has special rhythmic pulsing that harnesses our innate response to rhythm. They say it’s similar to listening to music, but without audio.
The #doppel stand is looking good @WearableTech #WTUS15 pic.twitter.com/VYwFi8gq7u — Team Turquoise (@TTurquoise) 9. Juli 2015
Italian Tailored Technology has prototyped a blazer jacket tailored with ghost devices. The wearer can charge an electronic device, record sounds, capture photos, and NFC while obtaining renewable energy via solar power. The jacket is recently under crowd funding through Kickstarter. Soon it will be for sale, and all the fancy business men and women of the world can interact with wearables just like 007.
Savox’ Thor was released just over four months ago. Savox has designed a helmet for soldiers which incorporate all the appropriate tactical gear. They claim that it is light weight, while improving soldier’s performance. Thor is enabled with programmable features and capabilities when connected to intercom solutions. Thor features flexible adjustable mounting systems, NVG goggles, and hearing protection cups.
Fuel 3D hand-held product Scanify can assist modern artist or engineers by scanning 3D objects. It technology is simple. Just point and shoot. Then upload the image to a 3D rendering software. From here the user can manipulate, or print.
Mind Stream’s Thumb Track is the world’s smallest wearable ring for controlling your computer mouse. The simple design only requires a Bluetooth dongle to be plugged into your computer, and then it’s just click and go. You can use Thumb Track for being more interactive during work presentations or for reliving your elbows from resting on your desk. The idea is to incorporate another method in using your computer’s mouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou4V-Sw3N-w
Similarly, Mycestro is another wearable mouse that you can use in any position. The design is a little larger than Thumb Track, but Mycestro offers press-able buttons. Some users prefer this because of the actual click of the mouse. Mycestro is also available in different colors.
Lastly, the new ViSafe is a wearable device created by dorsa Vi EU. They have created revolutionary wearable sensor technology to track body movement.ViSafe is designed for labor workers, and records how their body moves while at work. Feedback can tell the user if they are lifting heavy boxes incorrectly, and how to improve.
The future of all enterprise is a work space where the wearables are connected to the buildings IoT, which is connected to the cities IoT infrastructure. No matter if the technology you wear is specific for completing a task or promotes health awareness, wearables will be introduced to work place. At the moment, some people think this may be a bad thing because it is distracting or unnecessary. Yet, these excuses sound similar to what bankers said at the beginning on online banking. Some technical evolutions are meant to occur. Wearable engineers must think practically and the work space is a good place to start.
