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Varidesk Raises App to Visualize & Purchase Standing Desks

A person holding a smartphone displaying a virtual 3D model of a desk setup.

The standing desk movement has gained momentum over the past few years as research has pointed to the detrimental health effects of sitting at a desk all day.

For those who are ready to take the plunge into this new paradigm, standing desk vendor Varidesk has a mobile augmented reality app, AR Office Planner, for iOS and Android.

Black laptop stand on a cluttered desk with a laptop, coffee mug, and various office supplies.

AR Office Planner saves images of visualized desks like this one.

Like other AR apps from furniture makers and sellers, AR Office Planner places various Varidesk models on the user's desk surface. Users place a printed marker for the app to anchor the models, which can be viewed in resting and standing modes. Once customers arrive at a version they like, they can add it immediately to their shopping cart.

"Our goal has always been to create the best solution at the highest quality to help individuals and companies build active workspaces that perfectly fit their needs. We feel the AR app will help our fans choose the perfect Varidesk for their space. This is just another way we are helping to simplify how active workspaces will be visualized and built going forward," said Jason McCann, Varidesk chief executive officer, in a statement.

Adjustable standing desk converter displayed on a desk with computer monitors and office supplies.

Desk setup featuring a laptop, smartphone, and a black adjustable desk model in AR view.

Tommy Palladino/Next Reality

The app performs consistently for a marker-based experience. It has some difficulty anchoring the 3D models if the camera moves to a drastic angle to the marker. (While I used an iPad for demonstration purposes, so the models appear smaller than they would if I had printed the marker.)

Of course, one would imagine that ARKit and ARCore would improve tracking.

Next Reality has asked Varidesk if they plan to update the app for ARKit and ARCore once they become widely available. While they had not responded at the time of publication, we'll update this post when we hear from them.

Update: A company spokesperson declined to comment specifically on ARKit or ARCore, though he did note that Varidesk intends to expand the functionality and usability of the AR experience as backend infrastructure matures.

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Cover image via Varidesk

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