Remote workers are in luck, as many new work-from-home devices debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
Key Details
- In 2022, around 26% of the U.S. worked remotely, which is about four times the number of remote workers before the pandemic.
- New tech was announced at the CES that could benefit remote workers, including a stationary bike that charges a laptop, a call quieting face mask, and a pen that digitizes notes.
- These three innovations are just the beginning as more companies work to make products to benefit remote workers.
Why it’s news
The pandemic forced many employees across the U.S. to start working from home rather than staying in the office to avoid spreading sickness.
After realizing the benefits of remote work, many businesses opted to keep workers at home, and more companies have since decided to give employees the option to work from home.
Considering around 26% of U.S. employees work from home, many companies have been working to build products specialized for remote employees. Some new work-from-home products recently debuted at the CES in Las Vegas.
Hardware company Acer announced a stationary bike that uses power from pedaling to charge a laptop, phone, tablet, and more. The bike is called the Acer eKinekt BD 3 and will go on sale in the U.S. in June with a price tag of $999.
According to Acer, one hour of constant cycling at 60 revolutions a minute can generate 75 watts of power. At that speed, users can fully charge an iPhone 14 in around an hour and a half.
Another innovation is a noise-canceling face mask that can quiet phone calls. The face mask, created by Skyted, is primarily intended for phone calls on planes but can be a good investment for remote workers who like to get out of the house and use the face mask for a virtual meeting while in public.
The mask allows users to talk and not bother those around them by canceling the noise. It is set to go on sale in March for $400.
The last invention is the Nuwa smart ballpoint pen which is a pen that uploads users’ notes to a virtual note app with no special paper required. The pen uses three cameras and an infrared light to track pen strokes and uploads them to the Nuwa Pen App.
The pen is rechargeable, and ink can be replaced with a cartridge found at most office supply stores. It makes it easy for workers to quickly jot down notes in a meeting and quickly upload them to a computer or other device.
As many more businesses switch over to a remote work schedule, it is expected that this wave of inventions is just the beginning of new technology intended for work-from-home employees.