Can sensors that monitor a sitter’s posture and work patterns improve well-being in the workplace?
Tayla Ansell looks at what’s available
Could workplace trends drive
mass adoption of health tech?
A new survey suggests they
might.
In its white paper,
Enabling the
OrganicWorkspace: Emerging
Technologies that Focus on
People, Not Just Space
, furniture
manufacturer Haworth argues
that by gathering information on
environmental conditions and
monitoring the physical, emotional
and cognitive state of employees,
sensors have the potential to improve
employee engagement and well-being.
A technology-based approach to
well-being might sound futuristic, but
sensors are already being used in seating
to counter the health risks associated
with a sedentary lifestyle.
Smart Active sensors within
Nomique and BMA’s Axia 2 seating
range, for example, monitor sitters’
movements, sitting time and posture
changes and, via a free Android/iOS
smartphone app, provide feedback and
advice to encourage activity throughout
the day. If someone has been in one
position for too long, the seat vibrates,
reminding them to change posture.
The Axia Smart Active app provides
additional advice, including tips on
healthy working habits, such as moving
around more, working while standing up,
rolling one’s shoulders and stretching.
In the third annual AXA PPP
Health
Tech &You State of the Nation
survey, 57% of British workers said
they would be open to wearing a
company provided fitness band or
similar device during working hours
to help monitor their health and
wellbeing, as long as it was supplied
free of charge. This figure rises to
63%, if employers offer workers
the device and a financial bonus for
wearing it.
Currently, only 5% of Brits work
for an organisation that provides
employees with health technology.
Nor are employees shy about
sharing health data with bosses. Of
those who are happy to wear a fitness
band at work, 58% say they would be
comfortable sharing health data with
their employer, if it helped with the
organisation’s employee health and
wellbeing programmes.
Dr Chris Tomkins, Head of Proactive
Health at AXA PPP healthcare, said:
“The increased use of health tech
within the workplace could so easily
be a win-win for both employer
and employee. For the first time, it
is possible to support an individual
throughout their journey from better
understanding of their health to
actual improvements through smart
digital platforms. Furthermore, there
are often staff schemes with open
platforms that enable individuals to
use and share information from their
own personal devices, ensuring their
contribution is recognised.”
Sensor stool
Dutch start-up Zami Life is another
company exploring how technology
can be used to encourage active sitting.
After raising more than $100,000 on
crowdfunding site Indiegogo in 2015,
it has developed a ‘smart’ version of its
Zami Essential stool, originally developed
to promote “good posture by enabling
the optimal curve for your spine and
neutral pelvis position”.
The ‘Smart’ version has integrated
pressure sensors in each leg. These
monitor the sitter’s weight distribution
Seating gets smart
Is health tech the
key to a healthier
workforce?
Office Seating
01732 759725
33
magazine
Continued...
Axia Smart Chair
Sensors are
already being
used in seating
to counter the
health risks
associated
with a
sedentary
lifestyle
