MurMurs - Playful furniture for office environments
by Startacus Admin
Now for something umm... well... bizarre quite frankly.
As you know, here at Startacus we are mad about inventive startups, social media and anything which makes running a business a happier and more productive endeavour...(check out TwitterTape as another mad cap invention for the office)
On our quest to find some fun and quirky stories, we came across MurMurs, the new office seats/furry creatures that interact with workers verbally and through social media sites with the aim of promoting productive and happy workspaces - think a Furby mixed with a Chippendale… see I told you it was bizarre…
Created by the University of Tampere in Finland, the developers were researching ways that they could use the emerging trend of toy hybridization to improve co-worker relations and encourage creative productivity. They specifically wanted to find new ways to make the often sterile physical environment of the office more interactive in a way that would facilitate discussion and social activities - in short to make it a better place to be.
There are five different MurMurs in total, each with its own colour and ‘personality’. They have wireless connectivity which allows them to converse with each other and even tweet their ‘thoughts’ and ‘feelings’ to you and your co-workers. It all sounds a bit like a Disney version of The Terminator franchise, but fear not MurMurs are fairly placid beings and despite the odd grumble about an overly ample bottom they are designed to be a positive and entertaining addition to the office. Leave your seat for a long period of time and you might get a tweet saying “I’m bored, no one has sat on me for a while” or move closer to a co-worker for collaboration and your MurMurs may start gabbing to one another about whatever takes their fancy.
We should point out at this stage that MurMurs are currently in their infancy (perhaps we should refer to them as Murlings?) and as such their capabilities and possible uses within the office environment haven't been fully hammered out yet. As it stands we would certainly love to have a few of these dotted around the office - for about ten minutes, after which we imagine the novelty may wear off rather quickly.
However the MurMurs’ developers are working tirelessly with them to find ways that these plush newcomers will not only inject a bit of fun, but also make a tangible contribution to productivity and morale.
We are really intrigued by the thought that one day seemingly vacant objects commonplace within an office could have the capabilities to play a more active role in the running of a business. We will be watching closely to see the team at the University of Tampere come up with next.
Is this is beginning of the robot office worker? We will keep you updated!
If you like what you see here on Startacus, why not become a member of our growing community? It's free! And you'll get all this - exclusive access to our Business Toolkit, discounts and offers galore for your business via our member only business deals, the chance to network and connect with loads of fellow self-starters, and maybe even become our celebrated 'Self-Starter of the Week' and tell the world your startup tale! Join right here for free...
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Artificial intelligence platform Ricochet is on an AI mission to find new business leads that fit the needs of your company.
From understanding more about how a business can invoice effectively to avoid late payments, to what debt recovery means, to how to take legal action against overdue debt.
The challenges of working with a business partner or another co-founder, as told by 12 of the UK’s top startup co-founders
This February 12th & 13th, global pre-accelerator program Startup Boost, will host a virtual demo day from their 'Fall programs' in Detroit, Dublin, Los Angeles, and New York.
Minute is an app that allows you to watch quality short films, tailored to the time that you have available. We took a look at this early-stage startup with a big vision.
Migrants are gonna surround us, With ideas! We take a look at Startup Weekend Dublin immigration...
Five reasons why every business could consider investing in coaching for their sales team.
The FinTech and PropTech startup which rewards tenants with improved credit for on-time rent payments...
.png)
SportTech Belfast startup Pitchbooking, secures £250k investment to help become the market leader in sports facility management.
From understanding more about supplier and business customer negotiations, to contracts, understanding heads of terms, to what should be included in a terms of contract.
Published on: 14th October 2013
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Startup Weekend Dublin immigration aims to builds ideas not borders 7th Feb 2019 Migrants are gonna surround us, With ideas! We take a look at Startup Weekend Dublin immigration...
- Sports facility management platform Pitchbooking nets £250k investment 6th Feb 2019 SportTech Belfast startup Pitchbooking, secures £250k investment to help become the market leader in sports facility management.
- Too Good To Go raises further €6m to keep fighting food waste everywhere 6th Feb 2019 Fast growing tech for good app Too Good To Go raises a further €6 million to accelerate its mission to eliminate food waste globally, taking its total investment to €16m.
- Google+ for consumers shuts down 2nd April 1st Feb 2019 Goodbye Google+. The end date for Google+ for consumers (personal) has been announced as the 2nd April 2019. So what....now?
