June 3, 2005—Sonare Technologies, a Herman Miller company, has introduced Babble, a technology that provides voice confidentiality and security of information in open-plan work environments, the company says.
Babble is a desktop device that connects to the telephone and sends the user’s voice out in multiplied and “babbled” form through proprietary speakers arranged in the work area. It achieves confidentiality without distracting the user of the device, and those in the user’s immediate area hear what sounds like an indiscernible, low-volume group conversation.
The benefits of Babble go beyond the critical requirement of safeguarding information. It also contributes to increased productivity, allowing the user to have confidential telephone conversations at his or her workstation, where their computer and files are located, the company says.
The product represents the first wave of innovation to emerge from the Herman Miller Creative Office. Working with Applied Minds, Inc., and other collaboration partners, the Creative Office has developed and acquired a portfolio of sound and acoustics patents and is commercializing them through Sonare Technologies.
For more information, visit the Sonare Web site.
