Nowadays, we track our fitness, our sleep … even our mindfulness.
Now, Herman Miller is here with a standing desk that can track the amount of time you spend a day sitting and standing. And yes, the twinge of irony is real. We’re talking that Herman Miller — the same Herman Miller of the most iconic chairs of the modern era: the Aeron and Eames Chair.
But uh, forget about that for right now. Herman Miller sells smart standing desks now.
The findings are funneled back to a cloud system they’re calling Live OS — a larger initiative for tracking how various areas in the office are used. Once applied, it collects data and helps reconfigure the space or layout for optimal use.
The platform’s most compelling feature? Its seamless integration, which may just get standing desk naysayers to finally embrace the movement.
The first thing users do is set a goal for how long they’d like to sit and stand during the day. With a companion app, Live OS can save your ideal height for both positions, transfer that to any sensor-equipped table, change height at the push of a button — and even notify you to switch positions by a soft desk vibration and blinking light. (Of course, the automatic movement only works on motorized Herman Miller desks.)
As Quartz notes, “There’s near consensus that both sitting all day and standing all day are not good for you,” so this is intended to help people on both sides of the desk spectrum.
When you add up the costs — $100 per sensor, and $36 (fixed-height desk) or $60 (sit-to-stand desk) for software per year — it can get pricey. Especially when you realize Herman Miller’s sit-to-stand desks can go over $2K each.
If you need some time to think over the office overhaul, that’s fine, because come January Herman Miller is planning to unveil the Live OS system in its iconic Aeron chair.
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