CABIN - a shelter to inspire a feeling of co-working
Functions
Cabin, a triangular-shaped shack, is a device that displays thoughts, ideas, pictures and messages sent from all directions. Information appears as shimmering dot − like those of stars— flashing and reappearing when called upon. Messages can be sent to the cabin through the mui Board - a wooden smart home interface for accessing digital information and communicating online − which can be installed in the office or house and set up through the mui mobile app. Messages are displayed along the cabin windows and exterior walls of the cabin, turning into stars after some time has elapsed. Countless messages become stars and twinkle in the windows. Touching a star reproduces the message. If you touch more than one star, you will see more than one message. We do not know when, who, or where the messages were sent from, but we can encounter the thoughts and ideas of our colleagues beyond time and place. A thought that appears on a moment's notice may perhaps lead to a new idea?
Background
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, many companies have shifted to remote work, offering a variety of options for differing work styles. In addition, with the emergence of concepts like the metaverse and digital twin− among others − the digital world is slowly being integrated into the real world, the significance of real and digital being redefined in real-time. As part of their focus on security and health, Mr. Ide, the president of Wacom, wanted to prioritize individual lifestyles and values, making it possible to selectively decide the time and place where meaningful gatherings could take place. mui Lab focused on the gap between time and place that accompanies remote work and office work, creating a "linked" system that connects people across time and space.
Cabin was developed by integrating Wacom's Ink technology into mui Lab's calm technology platform.
Wacom's thoughts
CEO of Wacom, Ide states, "The place we create is both an office as a workplace and a place to connect with the community. Rather than standing tall as a unique space, we aim to create a place where something is born from the constant revolving around the concept of imaginative chaos. The Connected Ink Village has the sense that the dots of shaking things are increasing as if drawn by fate. Rather than growing in scale, the thoughts are connected in such a way that many miraculous encounters can be obtained. The "cabins" have already been installed at Wacom's Portland and Dusseldorf offices, and there are plans to install one at the Morioka Village in Iwate prefecture, Japan. We are looking for a way of being that is not an intended symbol, but one that pops up incidentally because it is floating, bumping into each other, popping up in little dots."
mui Lab's thoughts
We designed the experience in the hope that seeing countless stars will trigger thoughts and fantasies, just as when you look up at the sky and see countless stars blinking at night, feeling something precious and alive. Wacom's digital ink technology can faithfully reproduce, for example, lines that people have erased because they made a mistake or decided to re-write something. Digital tend to rely on content, but we want to value content that does not become content. In the case of the office (real life), talking to someone is not necessarily for the purpose of input or output, but sometimes purely for the purpose of caring about each other. We are looking forward to seeing what kind of constellation will emerge on the Cabin when the team of Wacom weave their thoughts and feelings into each star in the "Connected Ink Village".
About Cabin
Cabin is a shelter where people's feelings gather— acting as a space for co-creation that transcends time and space. In an environment where remote work has become the norm, and the boundary between home and office is blurring, how can members of the same organization connect with one another? In pursuit of this question, mui Lab and Wacom co-created the "Cabin", in which you can feel the presence of employees and their collective thoughts , enabled by the combination of mui Lab's Calm Technology platform and Wacom's Ink Technology.
How has Wacom and mui Lab started collaboration?
- Project“Height Marking in Wood,” an interface that can revivify your precious family memories (Jointly with Wacom)Novel form of communication that “capsules” family moments and lets you relive them
- ProjectBusch-free@home® (Jointly with ABB Busch Jaeger)The most intuitive and natural control panels
- ProjectCustomer feedback system that turns handwritten messages into data that SAP’s CRM system can read. (Jointly with SAP)Wooden message board that lets customers handwrite their comments on it, serving as a novel, user-friendly touchpoint for data collection.