This futuristic cabin is the ultimate work from home investment for 2020!

The second-half of 2020 is here and rescue from the pandemic is not in sight! The work from home situation that started off as a temporary thing is soon looking permanent and it’s high time we carve out a space for ourselves (how long are we going to hijack the dining table?) to concentrate and make the most of our work hours. The Livit Studypod is a futuristic black-box style cube that you can place anywhere you want and focus on your work, study or even health!

This composite cube structure works as your bedroom, home office, or study table and is designed for outdoor use. Easy to place on your backyard, garden, or anywhere with a view, the black-tinted hardened glass window gives an unobstructed view of your scenery. Since the cube is a closed structure, it keeps you safe from the weather across the year. Measuring 2.15 x 1.8 x 2.1 meters, this cube is perfectly sized for you to style it for your comfort, improving your headspace and keeping you stress-free. The pod does weigh 700 kilos but it also comes with optional wheels that let you move it and settle down for a quick change of scenery! The pod has oak flooring, a detachable desk, a power outlet, four downlights, and natural ventilation to keep the place airy.

In a time where distraction-free spaces are running low, or maybe you need that transition- to get up, dress up and sit in your workspace to focus – whatever you need, the StudyPod is easily customizable to meet your needs and to take it with you anywhere you go. The invention of the laptop created a wave, making portable workspace a reality. The StudyPod seems like an evolution in the workspace market, allowing you to carry your entire setup with you across the country or to the nearest site – wherever you need to be.

Designer: Livit

Click Here to Buy Now!

Amazon workers in Germany plan two-day strike over COVID-19 infections

Amazon’s efforts to deal with COVID-19 at its warehouses haven’t been enough to sway at least some workers. The labor union Verdi has announced that staff at six sites in Germany will strike for a minimum of two days over a claimed lack of transparen...

This air sealed work pod was designed to let employees return to office post quarantine

We all have a new work-from-home routine that everyone has had to adapt to overnight. Now some companies can afford to let employees continue working from home till a vaccine is made but there are many others who are open and functioning with bare minimum staff because their work is not digital. Just like working from home brought to light issues we didn’t have, working in the office during or after pandemic will have its own set of new issues and that is what designers are aiming to solve with concepts with Qworkntine.

The non-essential companies have to open up at some point to keep the economy (and our income) running. Qworkntine is an air-tight pod system that wants to make working in offices safe while we figure out long-term solutions. It protects the employees and can make it easy to monitor how many employees are in per square meter of the space – it also makes contact tracing convenient in larger offices. Its hexagonal shape lets companies arrange it in any format to suit their physical office – it is like assembling a beehive to keep all the bees healthy and happy! It can be customized to fit right-angled corners and can be elongated as per the needs.

This conceptual work pod features an automatic handle-free acrylic door that is controlled by facial recognition. It also includes ventilation fans and air purifiers to keep a continuous flow of air that is safe to breathe. The designer envisions the Qworkntine pod to be made from hygienic, non-porous materials that will be easy to clean and disinfect. The skylight makes it better for those who may not enjoy tight spaces. Winner of the DNA Paris Design Awards in the Responsible Design category, this design highlights that for the sake of our health (and wealth), we may have to adapt to new work environments. Instead of cubicles, we might have pods and that is basically the same size as having an apartment in Manhattan – say hi to the new home of ‘work-from-home’!

Designer: Moahmed Radwan

Twitter will let employees work from home indefinitely

Numerous tech giants are letting staff work from home for months while pandemic concerns persist, but Twitter is taking things one step further. The social network has confirmed to BuzzFeed News that it will let many staff work from home indefinitely...

Coursera makes courses available for free to the unemployed

Coursera is opening access to its online education in a bid to help those newly unemployed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gizmodo notes the service has made 3,800 courses and 400 specializations available for free through government agencies hoping to...

Microsoft 365 is now available worldwide

While users can still purchase the Microsoft Office suite of productivity applications, the company is pushing for a subscription-based future. Today, its Office 365 service takes on the new name of Microsoft 365 -- and though this is mostly a brandi...

Here’s a neat office chair that lets you work AND work out from home!

I’ll admit the Fitwork made me chuckle a bit but here’s my own personal reality – I’m far from fit. I have odd sleeping hours, work from home, and spend most of my time in front of a screen. Honestly, that’s sort of almost everyone’s realities. Working from home does tend to mess with your circadian cycle, and constantly being cooped up indoors can often affect your mood. Combine them and you’ve got yourself an unhealthy combination – which is precisely what the Fitwork was designed to combat.

Fitwork’s design sort of embodies a no-excuse mentality to being fit. Whether it’s the excuse of ‘being too busy’, or of ‘not wanting to go all the way to the gym’, Fitwork combats it by bringing the gym not just to your house, but to your workspace. Designed as a product to let you work and work out at the same time, this crazy hybrid of a desk-chair and treadmill keeps your legs active while you work. Whether you’re sitting in front of a laptop or standing in front of one, it’s the sedentary lifestyle that Fitwork tackles. The setup (which is sure to grab a few eyeballs) comes with an office chair attached to a treadmill underneath, and an elliptical in front. Coupled with an elevating desk, the Fitwork allows you to keep the lower half of your body active while you work, giving you cardio as well as keeping your spine engaged, whether you’re sitting or standing while working. While you’re sitting, your legs naturally rest on the Fitwork’s elliptical, allowing you to pedal away while typing out emails or attending zoom calls without really anyone knowing what a fitness buff you are. Swivel the chair back and boost your desk upwards and you’ve got yourself a standing workout workspace. Activate the treadmill and you can walk while working… or as I call it, walking the walk while talking the talk.

The Fitwork was designed by Brian Oaks, a designer and entrepreneur who ended up needing chiropractic adjustments and even back surgery because of this sedentary lifestyle. They say the most effective way to design a product is to get into the mind of the person who needs it, and that’s what spurred Oaks to design something that would allow him to stay healthy while managing his own company… or as I call it, keeping yourself running while keeping your business running.

The Fitwork looks to hybridize the home-office by combining it with the home-gym. It occupies a fair bit of space, but that’s probably because it’s a combination of a treadmill, elliptical, ergonomic office chair, and a dynamic desk… and the advantages seem pretty apparent. A healthier lifestyle even if you’re at home behind a desk, plus the entire thing costs like half the price of a Peloton.

Don’t install one in your office though. You want your coworkers thinking you’ve lost weight… not your mind.

Designer: Brian Oaks

Click Here to Buy Now: $1499 $2250 ($750 off). Hurry, only 1/10 left!

Fitwork – Lose Weight While You Work

The Fitwork Station is the perfect solution for today’s work environment. Stand, Walk, Sit, and Pedal your way back into health.

Their patent-pending Fitwork Station is the world’s first workstation designed to keep you moving all day long. Start your day off with a 2-3 mph walk for 10-20 minutes reading and responding to your emails. Rotate your chair into place and pedal your way to lunch. Take a quick 10 minute walk before lunch and one when you return. Rotate between pedaling and walking a couple more times throughout your day and easily burn thousands of calories.

The Fitwork Story

Brian Oaks: After years of sitting at a desk, I hurt my back really badly and ended up needing surgery. In an effort to relieve the pressure on my back , I purchased a nice ($1,200) zero gravity chair that would allow me to recline to a position that had my feet higher than my waist. It took all of the pressure off my back and thought I had finally nailed the perfect solution! I purchased an expensive split keyboard and mounted it to each armrest. I mounted my monitors from the ceiling and brought them down to hover right over where I was working (lying down) I attached wheels to the base of the chair so I could move it around a bit. My employees called it my WALL-E chair from the Pixar movie. It seemed like a pretty cool set up, but what I didn’t realize is that it was hurting me more than helping. My muscles got weaker and weaker in this position. So badly in fact, that I ended up needing another back surgery. So I went back to the drawing board to make my workstation better.

This time, I bought a new desk that would allow me to stand. I also bought a treadmill that would fit under my desk. Now I was heading in the right direction, but it still wasn’t ideal. I could only walk about 3 hours a day… then what?! I still needed to sit when I was tired or when I needed to meet with employees and clients. I was strengthening my core which was good, but it still wasn’t enough.

I tried building a wood platform on wheels that would fit over my treadmill, but that never worked great. It never moved perfectly because the wheels went in every direction. Next, I built a rail system, welded a base to my chair and rolled back n forth on the treadmill. I thought that was pretty cool… but the frame would occasionally catch the back of my heel and would pull my shoe off or scrape the back of my heel badly. I learned quickly to take shorter steps. I also realized I was still sitting a lot more than walking and wanted to see if I could incorporate more movement…

I added an elliptical unit that would allow me to pedal while I sat. This was really starting to take shape… except my chair would always roll backwards on the rails when I tried to pedal. Eventually I came up with a design that allowed me to get my chair out of the way for walking and easily hold its position while I was pedaling. I could also sit, rotate my chair and meet with other people in my office without it feeling weird. It was the best of everything! It worked so well in fact, I decided to patent the whole thing.

Since I’m incorporating many elements that have already been created (treadmills & ellipticals) it’s actually fairly straightforward when it comes to production. We’ve just had to tweak a few existing designs and we’re off and running. Our chair arm has been rated supporting over 500 lbs and should be an easy addition. My initial funds will be used for tooling and dies and first production runs. I’m also designing our own app to tie all of the attributes together (walking and pedaling distance, calories, speed, time, etc.).

Click Here to Buy Now: $1499 $2250 ($750 off). Hurry, only 1/10 left!

Judge says Instacart likely misclassified California workers

California's recently enacted AB5 was aimed at improving working conditions at gig economy companies like Instacart, and it appears to be one of the first firms in the crosshairs. A San Diego county judge has granted a preliminary injunction barring...