French start-up Uzer was
showing off Eugene, a smart
kitchen bin that uses a barcode
scanner to encourage you
to recycle product packaging;
it can also add the item to your
next online shopping order.French company Orfea Acoustique has developed Silent Space,
which is essentially a noise cancellation system for entire rooms
rather than your headphones. Designed for use in open-plan offices
and other shared workspaces, the Silent Space system consists
of a central controller, plus a number of satellite speakers
(or ‘diffusers’, as Orfea calls them). The controller unit analyses
the timbre and levels of ambient sound in the room, then instructs
the diffusers to pump out a masking signal to match.
These unobtrusive tones will cancel out the general hubbub
of office life, such as the clank and whirl of the printer,
or the telephone chatter of the sales team across the room.
The result, says Orfea, is that “a virtual cocoon is created around
each co-worker... which results in the feeling of a more private work
space.” The company goes on to claim that this will lead to
a significant reduction in stress, fatigue and irritation among staff,
and, ultimately, to reduced absenteeism.
And because prevention is better than cure, you can also add
a ‘collective noise indicator’ that lights up to show how loud
the background noise in the room really is – hopefully encouraging
your colleagues to keep their voices down a bit!
THE INTERNET
OF DAFT THINGS
OFFICE SILENCER
Also on show was
Oombrella – an umbrella
equipped with air pressure,
temperature, humidity and
light sensors that gives you
up to 15 minutes’ notice
of imminent rain. Because
we all have our brollies
out when it’s dry...L’Oreal was at CES
demonstrating Hair Coach,
a smart hairbrush with a built-in
microphone, gyroscope and
altimeter that listens for the
sound of split ends breaking
and tells you off (via Bluetooth
and an app) for getting your
brushing technique wrong.But perhaps our
‘favourite’ was Kissenger- a prototype silicon
iPhone add-on that uses
pressure sensors and
actuators to mimic the
feel of a distant loved
one’s kiss. Frankly,
hitherto unsuspected
heights of unnecessary
wrongness are being
scaled here...
There was no shortage of, ahem,
‘surprising’ IoT tech at CES...