Cool Hunting

Steelcase Walkstation by Tim Yu

Walkstation_6.jpg

Unveiled a few weeks back, the Walkstation by Steelcase went on sale yesterday to businesses looking to improve the health of their employees without sacrificing productivity. Developed by Dr. James Levine of the world renowned Mayo Clinic to help alleviate the consequences of our increasing sedentary lives, the Walkstation is a converged desk and treadmill.

Obviously not intended to provide a gym-style workout, the Walkstation in fact doesn't go above three mph. Rather, the goal is to increase whole body movement while working to increase what Dr. Levine calls "non-exercise activity thermogenesis" or N.E.A.T., energy expended during everyday activity. I went by the showroom expecting a good laugh but was pleasantly surprised by the design and functionality.

Walkstation_1.jpg

The desk sits on hydraulic legs allowing adjustments to the height of the worksurface at the push of a button. Keeping it minimal, the display console is simple and easy to read, only showing speed, calories burned, time and distance. Concealed shock absorbers minimize vibration and bounce and the treadmill belt runs smoothly. There is also an emergency pull cord you can attach to yourself in case anything goes wrong.

I could see some problems with using this if you suffer from motion sickness but it could just take some getting used to. I wouldn't recommend talking on any corded phones either, however, it's still an interesting take on our work lives—or rather our lack of non-work lives. Pretty sad actually, is this what it has come to?

Walkstations range from $3,500 to $4,500 and are available through Steelcase and Details dealers. A consumer model along with customizing accessories should be out in the Spring of 2008.

Tools
Print
Email
Save / Bookmark
fShare Share
Permanent link
Sphere It
This entry posted on 20 November 2007 at 3:52 PM
Related Entries
Advertisement
Coalesse Live/Work Furniture
Courtesy of Coalesse, I recently had the chance to visit their Chicago showroom to see their latest collection of furniture conceived for the modern workspace. The experience revealed a new brand (it's actually the merging of Metro, Brayton and Vecta under Steelcase's umbrella) that's totally in touch with — or perhaps even ahead of — clients looking for a reinvented approach to office furnishings....
Birsel + Seck for Herman Miller: Teneo
by Tamara Warren The classic filing cabinet has the admirable function of safely storing documents, but leaves something to be desired when it comes to form. (Think square, metal, heavy and bulky.) Addressing the problem, Herman Miller wisely brought in designers Birsel + Seck to conceive their Teneo line. The storage system recently received the Best of Competition award at Neocon for Best of...
Woofy
Cute and plastic, Woofy is a dog that obediently sits next to you all day, holding a pile of cables inside to keep your desktop neat. Designed by Gabriel Nigro, the figures are about the size of a real small dog. We like the way it's a big conspicious design element rather than a way to try to hide cables away like other products....
Ikea's Camouflage Chair
Office chair design seems to lag about 50 light-years behind everything else. Somehow form rarely balances function and most seating options succumb to the same set of boring standards. Leave it to Ikea to make something as democratic as the office chair a little bit fun and edgy. While their Svenning chair isn't revolutionizing the traditional shape of work perches (nor is it necessarily...
Recent Cool Hunting Videosview all Cool Hunting Videos
Advertisement
Advertisement
Recent Entries

J. Howells Werthman: We Are Making Plans


PhoneSuit MiLi Pro Video Projector


iPhone HP Calculators


Society6


Bedol Eco-Friendly Water Drop Clock


Context x Kicking Mule 1980 Hand Dye Jeans


Liquid Image Camera Goggles


Interview with Erik Madigan Heck of Nomenus Quarterly


Photographer Julia Fullerton-Batten