HP, County Combine for Innovation

“Isn’t it neat when science fiction becomes reality?”

That’s what HP innovator Russ Gibfried asked a crowd of County employees at the COC this past Tuesday during the bi-annual HP Information Technology Innovation Day. And the reality was the Hearing Room walls turned into touchscreens and Chief Information Officer Mikel Haas turned into a robot.

The County’s IT outsource partner began the Innovation Day last year as a way to collaborate with employees to come up with a batch of ideas the County could use to improve work efficiency and public outreach.

Gibfried showed the audience how the technology in Kinect (the same thing used in X-boxes) can turn any surface into a touchscreen interface, potentially allowing any conference room to become interactive. HP explained that touchscreens are useful but incredibly expensive. This kind of technology can provide just as much utility at a fraction of the cost.

The event also brought forward innovative app ideas for employees, like “It Can Wait,” promoted by AT&T. It turns off functions on your phone that could distract you while driving and sends messages to friends and family when you’re behind the wheel to let them know you’re unavailable.

HP said the app can be installed on County-issued phones to improve safety in the field and reduce risks while on the road.

Another app, created after HP and Probation joined forces, has tools to help Probation Officers get in touch with clients, manage caseloads and spend more hours being productive in the field – an estimated 14,787 more hours per year, to be exact.

But perhaps the most innovative part of the day was when Haas showed up on a tablet-turned-robot to demo something called “telepresence robotics,” the next step in video teleconference and remote collaboration.

The device has video teleconferencing equipment mounted to a mobile base and is navigated by the user to the destination of their choice. HP said the telepresence is “more personal than over the phone,” and suggested the County use the proposed technology for things like video arraignments, remote aging services and even virtual tours.

“I had a blast!” Haas said of the event. “I got to be a robot all day! I hope Innovation Day stimulates some ideas from employees – this kind of thing gets us moving forward.”

The County has put on a number of Innovation Days in the past, but this was the just the second devoted solely to HP services, along with their partner AT&T.  Patty Carpenter of the County Technology Office and one of the event’s organizers said there are plans to hold a similar event in December.