ENGINEERS SURVEY PREDICTS WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE:
COMPUTERS, MONITORS (AND CAMERAS) EVERYWHERE

Illustration -- Please Credit: "Kurt McNally - National Engineers Week"

The workplace of the future will be smaller, safer, and contain less people, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Engineers Week Committee, but most of all it will likely be marked by increased use of robotics, lots of monitors, and, of course, cameras. Among the predicted changes:

1. More natural light, reducing energy usage.
2. Virtual picture "windows" that can be turned into live views of famous locations worldwide, or of forests, underwater scenes or whatever workers may want at the moment.
3. Monitors on each worker that keep track of their location through Global Positioning System (GPS) access. Monitors may also allow for hands-free communications away from worksite.
4. Ergonomic office furniture to reduce physical stress.
5. Allergen-free carpets and furnishings.
6. Reduced size office files and libraries, with more and more records digitalized.
7. Electronic room monitors alert workers to hazards in the air, fire warnings and other health and safety concerns.
8. Cleaner air filtration, air conditioning and heating systems.
9. Cameras everywhere to track worker performance, aid in communications.
10. Super lamps which provide more light and use less energy.
11. Window treatments that ensure a maximum amount of daylight with no harmful ultraviolet rays, also lessening energy costs.
12. Teleconferencing -- a meeting being held with six individuals working in different locations -- four off-site, two in-office.
13. A vast increase in work from home, using various techniques such as teleconferencing, e-mail, and other digital communications.
14. Increased use of robotics -- in this case, an electronic window washer.
15. Almost everything that is now on paper will go digital including in/out boxes, datebooks and calendars.
16. More computer voice activation for data input and retrieval, meaning less hand-manipulated input, and related stress injuries.
17. More fingertip control and less brute force.
18. Ergonomic keyboards that reduce carpal tunnel syndrome and other stress- related injuries.
19. More recycled materials in building construction and furnishings.
20. Smaller offices mean more remote, often rural settings, and localized energy generation.

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