A new smart table designed by a research lab within The New York Times has the potential to make meetings more valuable and productive, with built-in bookmarking and recording features that make it an interviewer's dream come true. The Listening Table from NYT Labs passively records conversations and meeting, and when tapped, annotates real-time transcriptions with bookmarks, making it easier to organize and share knowledge gleaned from a meeting with those who weren't able to attend. Creative Director Alexis Lloyd told Fast Company that the goal was to utilize voice recognition technology in a way that proved useful to those seated around the table but not awkward or sneaky.
The table's recording abilities are tempered by design decisions that make it more Siri than Statsi. The table automatically "forgets" conversations after four months, and the lone switch atop the device makes it clear when it is and isn't in recording mode. With the built-in technical limitations, this office prototype provides a way to communicate with co-workers, as opposed to a backdoor that allows your boss to sneak in the "quantified employee" concept.
· The New York Times Invents A Conference Table That Takes Notes For You [Fast Company]
· Previous Furniture coverage [Curbed]