The startup Altwork has developed a ‘desk’ that lets the user work sitting, standing or lying down.
Lying Down on the Job
Even as laptops have replaced typewriters, today’s desks remain flat surfaces that often encourage slouching. Bay Area startup Altwork has plowed more than $10 million and 80,000 hours of research into about 15 prototypes and 10 patents for a workstation that CEO Che Voigt says acts as an extension of the body. It consists of a dentist’s-office-style reclining seat, with an attached computer monitor stand, laptop stand and magnetic desk surface, all of which adjust with the push of a button as the user stands, sits or lies down. The magnetic surface holds a magnetic keyboard and mouse so they don’t fall off. “If it’s not comfortable, you can’t do your best work,” says Mr. Voigt. Altwork offers two models priced at $4,650 and $7,650 and has shipped 1,000 units world-wide since 2016, he says. Mr. Voigt hopes future versions will be able to monitor stress levels and provide cooling and heating.
Toyota plans to commercialize its e-Palette concept vehicle, seen here at a March 2019 news conference.
The Workspace on Wheels
What if the office comes to you? Toyota Motor Corp. recently said it aims to make its e-Palette autonomous shuttle, which it says could be used as a mobile workspace, available for commercial use in the early 2020s. A company spokesman declined to provide additional details. Toyota has said the low-to-the-ground electric vehicle will come in three sizes ranging from 13 to 23 feet long and that its flexible interior design will allow uses from on-the-road stores to offices on wheels. Development partners include Amazon.com Inc., Pizza Hut and Uber Technologies Inc. But workers won’t be speeding down the highway sitting at a desk anytime soon. John Absmeier, chief technology officer of auto-part supplier Lear Corp., which isn’t involved in the e-Palette, says that as long as collisions remain a feature of the urban world, autonomous pods will stay confined to company and university campuses or tightly regulated parts of a city.