Chair alerts company how long employees sit

Office workers probably assume their boss can peek in on their corporate emails. But knowing — exactly — how long they've been sitting down on the job?

That's the purpose of the "connected caster," an innocent-looking, weight-sensitive wheel that can be affixed to the bottom of an office chair. It sends data back to a system that tracks just that.

Detroit-based Tome Inc. worked on the product with  office furniture designer Humanscale — which makes a line of desks for standing up and working at.

Humanscale Founder and CEO, Robert King, says, "OfficeIQ is in line with our focus on
solutions that are inherently simple and easy to use, yet have a real impact on wellness in
the workplace. It can generate cost savings and help employers see real returns on their investments in developing healthier and happier places to work."

Using occupancy and height sensor technology it provides provides sit/stand data, calculates caloric
expenditure, and gives opt-in users real time feedback on their activity at workstations.

Humanscale says data on individual workers will be protected and employers receive only receive aggregated data.

The company says the office software "gamifies" the experience. Individuals can receive activity scores and alerts with smart sit/stand reminders, while companies can set up teams to create "friendly" competition between departments.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.