Stir Makes Its Smart Motorized Desk Topless

Smart furniture maker Stirworks is adding a third model to its line-up, and to get your attention it's taking its top off. The desk top, that is, with the Stir Kinetic Desk Base L1 consisting of the mechanics of the height-adjustable workstation, along with the touchscreen controller, but leaving buyers to install their choice of surface.

Stirworks launched back in late 2013 with its original Stir desk, offering not only motorized adjustment of height but a slick touchscreen interface, health tracking, and even periodic reminders to change position.

That was followed in January 2015 by the Stir Kinetic Desk M1, a more affordable version that kept the smarts but made the whole thing faster and more flexible, following customer feedback from offices that practiced hot-desking.

Now, there's the Stir Kinetic Base L1. That has the same abilities as the M1 desk, but lacks its scalloped top. Instead buyers are able to choose their own, along with any side cladding as with the desks designed for Live Nation Entertainment, shown here.

Each piece has the touchscreen inlayed into a walnut top, with WiFi and Bluetooth, a sensor that tracks when users are standing near and when they've moved away, and support for linking with a Fitbit to share overall fitness stats.

Unfortunately, right now it seems that Stirworks won't be offering the Stir Kinetic Base L1 to individual buyers, despite many requests – from myself included – for a version of their desk that has a smaller, more residentially-scaled top, or at the very least a way to construct such a thing.

Instead, Stirworks is offering the legs, frame, electronics, and software of the desk for $1,500 to commercial clients, roughly half the price of a complete M1. Larger projects can get that down to $1k apiece, the company promises, and any firm buying twenty or more also gets Stir Analytics for Business.

That collates the stats on how often the desks are used, how many different people use them, how long they spend working, and more, as well as highlighting patterns of use and "peak periods" of desk busyness.

The Stir Kinetic Base L1 is up for order now, with a twelve week production time.