StandiT Standing Desk, hacker friendly - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: robotix3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 01:06:50 am
content: Hey guys,I am CTO of Robotics Unlimited Inc., a robotics startup and makers of StandiT.We have a Kickstarter running @https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/182384199/the-simple-sleek-and-smart-electric-standing-deskIt is a modular standing desk, completely designed from the ground up (unlike other standing desks). It's cheap, fast, and lifts 400 lbs (100 lb per leg), but the part I think you guys would be interested in is that a leg can be an independent Arduino compatible linear actuator (for $79).We have a little blog about this athttp://standitdesk.com/blog/2015/11/24/hackability/I am hear to answer any questions!

author: crispy_tofu
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 01:29:35 am
content: Shame it only ships to the US...Are you planning to sell internationally?

author: nidlaX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 01:33:59 am
content: Good luck with your project, we need cheaper sit/stand desk systems on the market.That being said, I am not a fan of the 4 individual leg + table top system. If there is no cross bracing between the legs, you will have wobble. At your MSRP, I'm not convinced that your product is better than IKEA's.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 01:35:09 am
content: I... don't really get standing desks.

author: robotix3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 01:46:33 am
content: QuoteWe didn't want to risk complications in international certifications, shipping, customs, etc so as to avoid delays. We will start selling internationally once we ship all the kickstarters.QuoteThanks, we thought the same. The 4 legged design allows users to attach legs to any size or shape table. Two legs would require more structural support and would severely limit the modularity. Our prototype is just as stable as two other brand desks we are testing at the moment. We have tested the IKEA desk and well... I'm just going to recommend you to read some reviews.QuoteWell you can also use the legs as linear actuators for something else. You will only understand the awesomeness of standing desks once you use one lol.

author: nidlaX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 02:48:41 am
content: QuoteOur prototype is just as stable as two other brand desks we are testing at the moment.You can instill some confidence if you would make a short demo video in which you have your leg + top kit sitting on hard flooring, place a heavy load on top, and then attempted to rock the table top back and forth.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 02:53:54 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on November 25, 2015, 01:35:09 amSeating is the new smoking.

author: robotix3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 03:05:42 am
content: Showing the stability in a video would be pointless since people would just call it fake, but we'll consider. I mean with to today's software we could make the desk lift a car and it would look real.

author: nidlaX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 03:52:50 am
content: Quote from: robotix3 on November 25, 2015, 03:05:42 amOf course, but that same argument could be applied to anything involving any type of media for any situation. That doesn't instantly invalidate the usage of media to support a claim.

author: robotix3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 01:41:10 pm
content: That's true I guess, of course things like the Onion exist...We'll most likely include that in another video, along with anything else people want to see.

author: instanoodles
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 03:45:46 pm
content: Well I am looking forward to this being available in Canada after your kickstarter campagin. I broke my back at work and after my surgery I cant sit down for very long, having a desk that can chnge between the two would be perfect.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 04:48:51 pm
content: I am in the market for a similar desk (already using one at work) and like the look, flexibility and price of this design.1. How stable is it for lateral force? The diameter of the interface between the legs and the top seems pretty small.2. If each leg has its own motor, how do you adjust it to not wobble? Is there a per leg micro height adjustment?3. Once all the legs are adjusted, are they guaranteed to maintain the relative height (avoiding future wobbling)?4. Can the desk be assembled, tuned and used without having to hook a computer/phone/tablet?

author: robotix3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 05:56:34 pm
content: QuoteThank youQuoteThis is a comment we get a lot. The adapters are held to the leg body with four 10-24 stainless screws, and the adapter itself matches the inner profile of the tube, making it a very robust connection. There are five 1/8" holes for attaching to the top. If the user uses our solid birch top then the connection is perfectly rigid, if they use a flexible or weak top than they will see some problems. We tested a few cheap IKEA tops and those all performed very well. The adapter diameter is 5" right now, after testing this for a while, we think it is plenty wide enough. Regardless, we have added some reinforcements to the adapter, that are not shown in the pictures or video, so we are sure that it is as stable as physically possible.QuoteEach leg has it's own microcontroller, encoder, and current sensor. Our encoder gives us <100 micron resolutionQuoteYes, though we also have a calibration function just in case.QuoteYep, everything can be done through the front-end.

author: rzeznicc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2015, 11:53:32 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on November 25, 2015, 01:35:09 amIts really simple, you are trading haemorrhoids from sitting for varicose vein from standing.Just ask any Hostess/Reception clerk about their occupational disease cause - standing.Here is like the first link from google:http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/standing/standing_basic.htmlShort version is: there is no magic bullet. In 2025, the new fashion will be being suspended in air by aerogel, yet it still will only solve some problems, and create others.If you want you'r (bio)machinery to be running in good condition, you have to be active all the time.Also, for every scientific paper (more often then not these papers don't get good peer reviews) claiming standing desks are good there's another one saying that desks have nothing to do with it.Poor man alternative is to place something you use frequently in work away from you desk, so you have to stand up and get there. Loss of productivity is inversely proportional to health gain.Try walking instead of driving a car wherever possible.good luck!

author: nidlaX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2015, 04:50:56 am
content: Quote from: rzeznicc on November 29, 2015, 11:53:32 amThe whole point of having a motorized desk that can be adjusted up and down is so that you do not spend the entire work day in either an always-sitting or always-standing position.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 02, 2015, 05:01:50 pm
content: Quote from: nidlaX on November 30, 2015, 04:50:56 amGood, I don't want to miss on haemorrhoids or varicose veins.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 11, 2015, 12:04:21 am
content: Quote from: robotix3 on November 25, 2015, 01:06:50 amHuh what? How are other standing desksnotdesigned from the ground up? I mean, the only thing most standing desks have in common with ordinary desks is that the tabletop is a plank.In any case, my biggest concern would be wobble. That is an issue in thebestof motorized desks, and I just can't see a 4-legged one being more stable. (I say this as someone who recently bought what would have been a $3500 standing desk, had it not been from the factory outlet at 60% off...)

author: robotix3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 11, 2015, 08:03:39 pm
content: QuoteIf you look at 90% of standing desks on the market right now, they all use an identical mechanical architecture, they use flat gear-motors with a chain, we use a lead screw design. This makes ours inherently cheaper, take up less volume, and fit nicely in a circular tube. The circular tube gives it perfect symmetry, allowing it to be more modular, multi-use, and weigh less.QuoteWe are robotics engineers and scientists first, we have solved the wobble problem. Our CEO has a PhD in Robotics.Our CEO's papershttps://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Mu26rl0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2015, 03:35:01 am
content: Quote from: robotix3 on December 11, 2015, 08:03:39 pmIf so, can you make this desk to walk? E.g. to the living room to become a coffee table when we have guests?

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2015, 12:25:59 pm
content: Thanks for the reply, robotix3. One more comment: I would strongly suggest making a model that goes lower than 27". For me, for example, that's just too high for typing, if I also adjust my chair so my feet aren't dangling off the ground. (I chose a model that goes down to 65cm, about 25.5").

author: robotix3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2015, 07:52:48 pm
content: QuoteLol, throw some large servos on there and sure.QuoteWe chose 27" as the minimum because this is the height of most static desks, the next version may go down to 26". Another solution is an attachable keyboard holder, which we may be adding to the KS soon...

author: jwm_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2015, 08:12:24 pm
content: I kind of want to take a bunch of the legs and put barstools on each one, then have them auto-adjust height so everyone is at the same eye level. Sort of like a same height party (http://www.almostzara.com/wp-content/uploads/same-height-party.jpg).

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2015, 06:20:15 pm
content: Ikea. Bekant. 489$ ...no, if you really want to make your product stand out : add self-leveling. i hate wobbly tables. shop floors are not always perfectly flat.add a smartphone function where by you can set an offset between the legs. so i can put a spirit level on the table: adjust the table perfectly level and then up/down takes the offsets into account. That would be nice to have.

author: robotix3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2015, 06:35:58 pm
content: QuoteThat is very strange lol. We have talked about electric chairs but they would need to be plugged in, which kind of ruins it.QuoteNo memory, only 154lb load, no bluetooth/appsQuoteI can neither confirm or deny that we are already working on this O0

author: kaz911
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2015, 06:45:02 pm
content: one of my Aussie acquaintances invented this;http://www.flattech.com/

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2015, 07:22:07 pm
content: other function : tilt forward. you could do this by adding gimballed feet to the table legs. some jobs are easier if the surface sits at an angle ( also for cleaning a workbench : tip it forward so the crap rolls off easier.)have the app be able to control more than 1 table so tables can raise/lower in sync. useful for large workspaces/benches. be able to synchro lock table height ( same level or offset level )

author: robotix3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2015, 07:33:36 pm
content: QuoteI've used one of these at a restaurant before lol, pretty sweet.QuoteActually this is something we are actively working on. Mechanically it is pretty challenging, requiring a few more moving parts. When you lower one side, the other needs to slide backwards. The design gets complicated pretty easily. We are close to making this work though, and it will most likely be an add-on to the basic desk.Best case we thought of was for drawing, cleaning is something we never thought of, interesting.