Gadget Guild

Do you think it will take years to show up some monitoring systems which will keep tab on productivity levels, physical and mental well being and competence level? The good news is they are actually out. The Uk’s Hot Forest Technology has developed an Optimal Office, a system that the company claims will help identify the stress fingerprints of your organization. Though its not as efficient as Microsoft Optimal Office coming close to launch.

Working Guy, Chris Null commented about Microsoft’s patent application for a “unique monitoring system” that would keep tabs on a worker’s productivity levels, physical and mental well-being, as well as competence. This so-called system would consist of wireless sensors that would measure a worker’s heart rate, body temperature, brain signals, facial movements, and respiration rate. As if that wasn’t enough, the system would also provide assistance and alert management if it sensed a worker was highly stressed or frustrated

Workers are given a special mouse with bio-sensors that capture a person’s body temperature and galvanic skin response, which are used to detect the user’s level of anxiety and stress. The same bio-feedback technology used in the mouse is the same used in lie detectors, so that should give you an idea of how accurate it can be.

If the system determines a person’s baseline stress level is peaking, it will alert them via a pop-up box, and walk them through a series of stress reducing exercises that are supposed to help relax the person. All the while, the information is being sent to a web server so your boss can view it anytime and determine whether they need to fire or hire more people around the office. It’s a good thing this system is still overseas, but it’ll be only a matter of time before something like this creeps into the American workspace. What do you think? You think the boss could ever get away with this?

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