Photo: Courtesy of Building Robotics. It's August, which means sweating buckets on your commute, then, upon arriving at work, huddling at your desk swathed in afghans, teeth chattering. We want to be cool, not frozen — and our workplaces just can't settle on a happy medium. At R29 HQ, some of us are a little more hot-blooded than others, and the temperature war rages daily. (Case in point: A coworker just walked by and said "Oh wow, it's way warmer over here.")
Well, get ready to make yourself comfortable, because Comfy, a new app by Building Robotics wants to crack the 9-to-5-climate code, making all worker bees happy. Even those unfortunate individuals seated directly beneath air ducts. The software plugs into existing building management systems and lets employees pinpoint their location and choose if they want their space warmer or cooler throughout the day. Over time, it will recognize preferences and patterns.
Not only does the program stop workers from reaching for wool sweaters during a heat wave, it lets them observe how others are adjusting the temperature. Instead of leaving us to snap at anyone who dares go near the thermostat, launch passive aggressive emails, or hoard blankets obsessively, the app encourages openness and dialogue between teammates. We're seriously considering gifting it to our office manager for his birthday (which happens to be today).
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