Panasonic develops £200 horse blinkers for humans to help people work more efficiently: Headset narrows your field of vision to block out distracting colleagues in the office

  • Device narrows your field of vision using a horseshoe-shaped wall of material
  • It also features noise-cancelling headphones to block out ambient noise
  • Headset provides 'a psychological personal space', according to its designers

By Harry Pettit For Mailonline

Published: 06:36 EST, 5 November 2018 | Updated: 06:36 EST, 5 November 2018

Panasonic has created horse blinkers for humans to help workers avoid distracting colleagues in the office.

The £200 ($260) device narrows your field of vision using a horseshoe-shaped wall of dark material.

Dubbed the Wear Space, it also features noise-cancelling headphones to ensure nearby conversations don't hinder your concentration.

The headset 'instantly creates a boundary with the surroundings' and provides 'a psychological personal space', according to its designers.

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Panasonic has created horse blinkers for humans to help workers avoid distractions in the office

Panasonic has created horse blinkers for humans to help workers avoid distractions in the office

The gadget was built at Panasonic's Future Life laboratory, in collaboration with fashion designer Kunihiko Morinaga.

They say that as well as blocking distractions, the headset also indicates to colleagues that you do not wish to be disturbed.

Wear Space's dark grey material wraps around the back of the head and can be adjusted so the wearer can only see their computer and keyboard.

The noise-canceling headphones reduce surrounding noise, while the fabric blocks out movement in the user's peripheral vision. 

The device weighs just 300 grams (10.5oz) - about the same as a can of soup.

'There is no sense of pressure on the top of the head, so a comfortable wearing feeling has been realised,' according to Panasonic. 

Wear Space, which will cost around £200 ($260), is expected to go on sale in Japan next year and may later be introduced globally.

Offices around the globe have increasingly moved toward open-plan, collaborative spaces over the walled-off cubicles of old.

Engineers said they developed Wear Space for times when open offices are more of a distraction than an aid to productivity.

The £200 ($260) device narrows your field of vision using a horseshoe-shaped wall of dark material 

Everyone sometimes wants to be alone and concentrate,' said team member Kang Hwayoung.

Covering your head with the fabric partition can also stop people from trying to make small talk.

'When someone is wearing the Wear Space, you can clearly see that the wearer wants to focus. We think this is quite important,' Mr Kang added. 

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Panasonic develops £200 horse blinkers for humans to help people dodge distracting colleagues

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