by Brianna Crandall — June 30, 2014—Bretford Manufacturing, a U.S. manufacturer of technology-enabled furniture for learning and business environments, unveiled an innovative, easy-to-use modular power system with exchangeable power components at the recent NeoCon contract furnishings show in Chicago. The Juice Power System uses unique “Juice Connectors”—or magnetic connections—that allow anyone to easily and safely connect and disconnect power when reconfiguring tables. The Juice Power System is available for order in August.
The Juice Power System can be ideal for K-12, higher education and office use in applications such as modular classrooms, collaboration spaces, training rooms, think tanks or anywhere mobile devices are used. A single wall outlet can provide power in up to eight daisy-chained tables for as many as 16 mobile devices. This can be achieved without an electrician, and without the clutter and dangers associated with the use of individual power strips, notes Bretford. Using the simple magnetic Juice Connectors, tables can reportedly be reconfigured quickly and easily by anyone.
Dave Smith, product manager for Bretford Manufacturing, said, “Innovation in mobile technology used for work and education is constantly moving forward, yet innovation in the form of power distribution and access has been lacking until now. Power strips are commonly used to meet the ever-increasing power requirements, however, they litter the floor and can create an unsafe environment where people can trip over them. Not to mention the fire hazard that is created when users improperly plug multiple power strips into one another, which can overheat and cause an electrical fire or a building circuit to overload.”
According to Yani Deros, CEO and founder of ATOMdesign, the product innovation firm charged with designing the Juice Power System, “Technology is so much a part of our lives, we often take access to it for granted until we need to plug in and power up. Juice will transform how classroom and work spaces are utilized. By delivering convenient and safe power access, Juice is enabling technology to be accessed more conveniently on work surfaces in any type of configuration required, now and in the future.”
The Juice Connector’s high-voltage magnetic contact is designed to provide superior safety while enabling rapid reconfiguration of furniture and spaces with simple “pull and place” connections. These magnetic connections, located at the table edges, daisy-chain to connect power sources from one table to the next and will safely break apart if somebody forgets to unplug them before moving tables. The magnetic connection components are not energized until the connection between the two is complete. Connections are mirrored so any Juice Box can connect to the next without sequencing.
No matter which mobile devices are used, USB outlets in the Juice Power System will provide as little or as much power as needed—up to a full rate charge of 2.4 amps per USB outlet. Each “Juice Box” power interface includes an orange LED light that illuminates to let users know that the system is powered but shuts down if an overload is detected. Once the overload is removed, the Juice Power System can then be rebooted by the user without the aid of a facilities maintenance professional. The Juice Power System uses removable Sled connections for power options that allow the system to be modular for reconfiguration based on the customer needs, or updated as those needs change.
A video on the Bretford site highlights the features of the new Juice Power System.
Founded in 1948, Illinois-based Bretford Manufacturing designs and manufactures sustainable furniture solutions for both learning and work environments. Each furniture design is built for quality and mobility so rooms, people and information can move and still stay connected. The company’s smart furniture designs support evolving technology, enabling institutions, organizations and corporations to increase productivity and efficiency. As to sustainability, many Bretford products are GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified, Bretford is a CarbonNeutral-certified company, and its EDU 2.0 line is among the first in the contract furniture industry to achieve CarbonNeutral product certification. All Bretford products are backed by a 12-year standard warranty.
