Undergrads Develop Future of Work Prototypes for Xerox Researchers

3-D virtual reality glasses, other working models designed to help next-gen workers

A group of new media undergraduate students at Rochester Institute of Technology developed working prototypes that included 3-D virtual reality glasses, emotion-detection tools and other innovations aimed at improving how work gets done in the future. Scientists at Xerox studying the future of work invited the students to help answer questions such as how an increase in telecommuters will affect the dynamics of the workplace and what tools might help workers fight issues such as isolation and burn out.

“If we want to create services and tools to help businesses improve the way they work, we thought it would be important to work with members of the future workforce,” said Tong Sun, principal scientist at the Xerox Research Center Webster and lead of the RIT Open Innovation project. “The students’ use of technology such as bio sensors and virtual tools to solve problems provided great insight into some of the issues we are studying.”

As part of an ongoing research study at Xerox called Beyond The Office, 42 RIT seniors were assigned to teams to address a number of trends including remote collaboration, information overload, trust, globalization and environment sustainability. The teams, comprised of new media developers and new media designers, were then given 20 weeks to envision and sculpt future work experiences using conceptual designs and prototypes.

Xerox scientists and engineers selected three top teams which shared prizes totaling $10,000. Below are some of the working models RIT students developed:

VisonTwentyTwenty/biome - This project - named the first place winner -- addressed worker isolation, an issue of concern for the growing telecommuting workforce. The team developed a 3-D virtual environment using virtual reality glasses and live video projection. The project won first place for its excellent comprehensive vision, well executed video simulation, and solid functioning prototype. View student demo here.

Cloud lab /Arc - This second-place winning team envisioned a blue collar workplace of the future – an “Augmented repair center” (ARC). It created an integrated, professional interactive prototype that uses large multi-touch tables for collaboration, 3-D diagnosis and integration with mobile devices. Features include a touch table located on the shop floor that connects to a car’s on board computer to help the mechanic diagnose problems, order parts and manage tasks. The mechanic uses augmented virtual reality safety glasses to repair the car more efficiently by showing info graphics, real-time updates and step by step instructions to the mechanic. Customers can get updates on the repair via a mobile applications as well as communicating approvals for repairs, asking questions or ordering parts etc.

Koala Kollective/Ziva - This advanced management system created to connect supervisors to tracked individuals won third-place for its comprehensive workflow and research. The system is designed to improve organization, strengthen communication and increase efficiency. The team demonstrated the technology as a child-care or elderly monitoring scenario using smart tracking devices, flexible displays and mobile applications. In these scenarios, children or elderly patients would wear a smart ID bracelet to track biometric health vitals and location. The system enables the collected data to sync up with mobile devices making it easy to share up-to-the-minute information. View student demo here.

Jinbo /Work on the go is a self-contained work space that maintains a comfortable, calm and personalized work environment for the remote worker. The universal portable work environment features emotion detection technology that uses biological hints to predict how the remote worker is feeling and adjusts the environment accordingly (adjusting lighting, sound, temperature, smell, airflow etc.). View student demo here.

Perjinkities/z-space - The team achieved honorable mention for envisioning a 3-D virtual workplace offering an experience as close to face-to-face collaboration as possible. The proposed “zSpace” concept is a portable “smart room” that provides a tele-presence conferencing experience. This “smart room” could be projected at home, at remote hotel room, or at airport waiting room.

PixlB/Office Café - A replacement for the standard office building, this team envisioned a creative work environment that brings together remote workers in a shared space. The ‘office’ is designed to help freelance virtual workers move beyond the ‘home office’ to a shared space where they can easily form dynamic project teams, have face-to-face interaction and personalize their interactive work environment. View student video here.

Pulse/bild - This team’s 3-D mind-mapping brainstorming environment enhances the collaborative and creative process by adding a third dimension to a brainstorming meeting. Using artificial intelligence technology, the system can translate any language and adds to the brainstorming process by automatically searching the Internet for resources that enrich the discussion as the brainstorm progresses. View student demo here.