Herman Miller’s New Live OS System
Smart office furniture that helps with posture, breaks and wellness
From cubicles to open-plan shared workspaces, the office is an ever-evolving beast. No longer is it a one-size-fits-all concept—from standing desks to napping pods and more, employers are finding new and tech-forward ways to keep their employees healthier and happier. Herman Miller‘s new Live OS is a digital system of cloud-connected furnishings—starting with a desk and a chair— designed to connect workplaces for the benefit of employees’ wellbeing. Launching today with the furniture, an app and dashboard, the system creates more personalized workspaces as well as offers data for companies to learn from. Think of it as a fitness monitor of sorts for the office—tracking your desk time and encouraging you to get up, raise your desk to stand at, and change your posture.
The Live OS system connects with this generation of Herman Miller furniture and can memorize individuals’ chair and desk heights (which is especially useful for the current wave of “hot desk” offices). It also has built-in reminders. These reminders on the sit-to-stand desk, which can be turned on and off, include lights and vibrations to remind individuals to switch positions—saving their posture—or to take a break. Live OS partners include Fuseproject who created the user experience and desk controller, OST, who created the analytics and cloud infrastructure, Dynastream, who’s ANT Protocol powers the mesh network, Universal Mind, who designed the app, and Twisthink, who created the hardware and software for data collection and transmission.
Another simple way to make technology work for our wellness needs, Live OS will encourage people to sit and stand in beneficial positions and to reach activity goals, creating a healthier (and therefore) and happier, more efficient workplace.
Images courtesy of Herman Miller
