Future shock: Your desk will charge electronic devices
NEW YORK: In the office of the future, desk jockeys who cannot live without cell phones, BlackBerrys and iPods will be able to charge up such devices just by putting them on their desks.
One office furniture maker Herman Miller Inc has a license from Fulton Innovation for eCoupled, a system that eliminates the need for dedicated chargers.
“Hallelujiah!” said Jim Lynch, director of the Association of Professional Office Managers. A desk equipped with eCoupled would save money on adapters, said Lynch, who would recommend it to his 8,000 members.
“Those things are 30 bucks each and if you have 50 people in your office the cost really adds up,” Lynch said.
eCoupled transfers power through a magnetic field, so only the eCoupled device itself needs electricity. Everything else charges upon contact with the magnetic field, David Hazlett of Fulton Innovation said.
Privately held Splashpower sells similar technology for portable electronic devices, but Fulton Innovation sees a cordless world with eCoupled powering everything from cell phones to blenders to lamps, Hazlett said.
Herman Miller is embedding eCoupled in desktops and considering other uses, Schurman said. The company would not say when the desk might make it to market, or how much it would cost.
Meanwhile, auto parts maker Visteon Corp plans a summer release of a charger that plugs into a car’s cigarette lighter and will cost less than $100, said spokeswoman Melissa Andrade.
Source:The Times Of India