A virtual window that gives dingy flats “natural” light and blinkers for office workers to block out noisy colleagues have been designed to help ease the stress of urban living.
Inventors in Tokyo are working on concept technology to create “instant personal space” in ever-more crowded cities.
The wall-hung Window+, developed by Panasonic’s Future Life Factory, reproduces natural light with LEDs, and has a fan to simulate wind along with speakers to play the sounds of a breeze.
Its inventors said they wanted to “alleviate the sense of restriction and entrapment in windowless rooms”.
The blinkers, called Wear Space, help people in open-plan offices focus on their work, screening out chit-chat and other annoyances.
Noise-cancelling headphones are fitted inside the curved device, which is covered in soft material and has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for music streaming.
Takehiro Ikeda, creative director at Panasonic Design, said that the new technology “can enhance wellbeing in everyday life for people living in cities”.
