While genetically modified chimpanzees that are able to make calls, prepare tea and send emails are yet to be invented, there are plenty of other futuristic gizmos and inventions on the market that could give your office that hi-tech feel.
Here are seven gadgets for your office, straight from the set of Star Trek.
The Aeron self-adjusting chair: £470
Each section of this hi-tech looking throne is designed and counterweighted to adjust to your body every time you move. The majority of sitters ignore the many knobs and levers on most office chairs, paying attention only to the height; this perhaps explains the high instance of back trouble in the UK. The Aeron, from Herman Miller, might be the answer.
The floating desk lamp: £37
Other than a pool of piranhas, nothing quite says ‘James Bond villain’ like one of these floating magnetic desk lamps. This floating globe from Zen is sure to give your desk the touch of evil genius chic that you’ve been craving.
The laser keyboard: £120
If you like you office gadgets to make you feel like you are actually in the future, a virtual laser keyboard may be just the ticket. This Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard projects on any flat surface from a little device not much bigger than a box of matches, allowing you to type away to the accompaniment of little click sounds. You can also use it to compose an email on your PDA or Smartphone.
Carpet skates: £10
Walking around the office can become so boring. Luckily, slipping these low-friction skates over your shoes allows you to glide over any carpeted surface with ease. Making tea, collecting documents from the printer or even walking around M&S on your day off will probably never be the same again. Can you believe these were originally designed for children!
The self stirring mug: £14.99
What more do you need to say about this? It’s a mug that eliminates the possibility of tea related RSI by stirring itself. Think of all those minutes you’ll save, having negated the need to stir your hot beverages.
The office multi-tool: £10
Okay, so they probably don’t have these in Star Trek, but show us an office environment that wouldn’t benefit from this Swiss Army Knife of the business world. It’s a five-in-one gizmo that includes a calculator, scissors, measuring tape, stapler and paper clip holder. Pure genius!
Mind reading computer control
While the EPOC headset is not yet commercially available, developers Emotiv say the device will enable computers to take both conscious and non-conscious inputs directly from your mind. They’re expecting to release it sometime this year. Their “mission is to create the ultimate interface for the next-generation of human-machine interaction.” Nice...
