NeoBytes :) is an occasional feature that takes a step back from the big headlines, to take a look at what else is happening in the vast, scary expanse of the tech world - often with a cynical eye, always with a dose of humour.
With the rise of smartphones, tablets, and related portable devices, it has been quite normal for us to use these things several times of the day. Even at the dining table, many still tend to use their devices while eating, instead of interacting with the people around them. With this in mind, a company has come up with an idea for a dining table that promotes interaction while liberating those dining with their phones.
Home appliances and furniture company IKEA has introduced the "Phone-less table," which aims to eradicate the act of using our phones while we are eating. Designed by IKEA Taiwan, the contraption features a rising hotplate in the middle of the table, which is responsible for heating up the food. Now, to be able to cook the food, people around the table have to surrender their phones into a compartment under the plate. The more phones that are put in, the more heat the pad generates, which in turn cooks the food. The table also guarantees no cheating to check on their phones, as the temperature of the heat generated will decrease if a phone is removed.
The result? With the phones surrendered into the plate to be able to cook the food, people around the table have more time for socializing and catching up with life, rather than being too cooped up with answering text messages and browsing Facebook on their phones. Definitely the table enables people to have real life conversations, and depend less on the rapidly evolving technology we have today.
Back in 2014, IKEA also introduced the "bookbook™," which offered high definition pages powered by its "touch technology," and featured a "battery" that lasts a lifetime.
Source: ShortList | Screenshot and video via IKEA