Telecube [1] is described as a soundproof smart phone box that can be installed anywhere and they are starting to appear in railway stations and office foyers across Japan.
[2]
Inside, there is a seat, desk and power outlets. Whilst not new, I am sure regular readers will have seen this sort of thing, either at trade shows like #CES2020 or in up-market Manhattan offices.
This particular public rollout is the brainchild of Mitsubishi Estate Co., together with office furniture manufacturer Okamura Corp [3], video conferencing software vendor V-Cube Inc. [4] and TeleCube Inc. themselves.
Reservation and room entry is via smartphone and the plan is to install 1,000 of these by 2023.
[5]
Monocle magazine covered the story briefly in its online edition and said “Though the cubes offer a handy quick fix for an on-the-go video call, such optimistic growth projections do raise the question of how the minds behind the Telecube see Japan working after the rollout of an effective vaccine”.
[6]
There are currently 87 booths already installed in Japanese cities.