Origami Labs’ OFLO is a smart walkie talkie for frontline workers – TechCrunch
OFLO is a voice communication system that replaces traditional walkie-talkies. The hardware is more compact and lighter, has a headset for bone conduction, and can cover unlimited distances and multiple channels. Developed by Origami Labs, OFLO is also linked to software that provides tools for automatic logging and productivity for teams who cannot access screens while working.
The startup, whose clients include real estate management company JLL and luxury hotel chain The Peninsula, is currently Presentation of OFLO in the Taiwan Tech Arena Pavilion at CES.
OFLO is designed for millions of frontline workers in healthcare, hospitality, security, manufacturing, and other sectors who cannot often sit in front of a computer or look at mobile screens. The walkie-talkies that many of them are currently using only cover limited distances and have a single channel that is shared by multiple employees. Among the benefits of OFLO is that users can call specific employees, and it is also cross-platform so someone talking on a smartphone can call someone on an OFLO walkie-talkie. The software includes functions such as live chats, transcriptions, task management and GPS location.
A product shot of OFLO Walkie Talkie
OFLO is available by subscription for $ 6 per user per month. Wong said his monthly recurring income is currently increasing 20% per month, with a goal of $ 100,000 per month by the third quarter of 2021.
The system builds on Origami Labs’ other technology, including Orii, a voice controlled ring. Kevin Johan Wong, co-founder and CEO, told TechCrunch the company sees OFLO as “an almost screenless smartphone alternative”. One of the reasons Wong became interested in working on speech technology is because his father, Peter Wong, is a visually impaired programmer who helped develop Microsoft’s accessibility tools.
“Our company’s mantra is to create devices that balance each other and allow people to interact with computers without a screen,” said the younger Wong.
