5 Inventions Changing the Way We Work

When I started working here at Phenom People, I was completely excited to have a standing desk. To be quite honest, working a position where the bulk of my day requires sitting in front of a computer writing, having the ability to stand gives me a healthy alternative.

But standing desks are just the tip of the iceberg.

Here’s a look at five inventions changing the workplace for the better.

The Chairless Chair Noonee, based in Switzerland and the world’s first supplier of WEMDs (Wearable Ergonomic Mechatronic Devices), developed what they call the Chairless Chair. If you work in or have employees that work in a position that requires long periods of standing (i.e. production, warehouse or manufacturing environments), the Chairless Chair provides a wearable exoskeleton providing the ability to sit when needed.

Photo credit: Audi

Noonee claims the wearable chair is functional in design without disrupting the standing work environment. In addition, the product can reduce physical strain, reduce employee absence, generate comfort and increase quality and productivity of employees.

3D Gesture Control Imagine a camera that uses face recognition, allowing you to direct through touch and voice. A great example is the X-Box Kinect, enabling game players to interact and play games all through gestures and voice commands without having to use controllers or costly add-ons.

Photo credit: Xbox Kinect

Now, imagine eliminating your “bulky” laptop or technology-driven workstation for a 3D projected workspace where you have the ability to swap screens in the air and use voice commands to conduct search queries, etc. It will be here before we know it.

The RoboGlove Originally developed by NASA and General Motors, the RoboGlove “uses actuators and artificial tendons to mimic the muscles of the human hand.” Equipped with palm support and finger sensors, the RoboGlove provides workers with extra grip strength in a working environment.

Photo credit: The Verge

As an assembler in a factory line, the pressure sensors can tell when an employee is holding something, strengthening their grip. Continuous grasping can really wear down a person’s grip strength, the RoboGlove helps to reduce muscle strain from the repetitive motions.

3D Printing While there’s only a small amount of companies dominating the 3D printing industry, it’s estimated that the market is expected to be worth over $30 billion by the year 2022. One company currently dominating the market is 3D Systems, and they are involved in multiple industries including aerospace and defense, automative, healthcare, dental, education, durable goods and entertainment.

photo credit: 3D Printing

With 3D Printing, the automotive industry and the way the production facilities work can be transformed. There’s a challenge to make product parts faster, and with direct metal printing, automotive manufacturers are able to produce installed parts in as little as three days.

Virtual Personal Assistants Whether a startup or established organization, personal and executive assistants come in handy. They aren’t always needed on a full-time basis, and one of the best things invented to help solve this issue is the virtual assistant industry. Companies like Worldwide101 provide vetted, skilled, and personality matched virtual assistants to founders and executives throughout the world.

photo credit: Worldwide101

Worldwide101 provides virtual assistants for executive admin, marketing, project management, customer service, social media, book-keeping, writing and editing, and even specializes in multilingual services.

It’s clear that technology is continuing to impact the way we work, and these are just some of the examples of innovative ideas coming to fruition for the betterment of the employee (and arguably, the company). I’m excited to see what else comes out in the upcoming years.