In response to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, JR East has set up a dedicated vehicle for calling and video conferencing on the Tohoku Shinkansen to meet the needs of passengers who want to telework while on the move, and will conduct a demonstration experiment from the 1st. started.
This demonstration experiment, dubbed the "Shinkansen office," has been conducted by JR East on the Tohoku Shinkansen since the 1st.
One dedicated vehicle is provided for each train, and you can make calls and video conferences using a laptop computer.
The seats are spaced one by one, and a special speaker installed inside the car emits sound to make it difficult for people to hear the conversation.
On the 1st, a university professor on a business trip from Sendai to Tokyo used this vehicle and had a meeting using a smartwatch.
"I've tried not to schedule video conferences while I'm on the move, but now I can work efficiently and comfortably," said the man.
In addition, there is also a service that rents out a Wi-Fi router for free so that stable communication can be performed when passing through a tunnel, and JR East will conduct an experiment until the 26th of this month to find out how much demand there is. I am.
Former Deputy Chief of JR East Business Creation Headquarters said, "I expect that workplaces will become more decentralized and demand will increase in the future. I would like to consider full-scale introduction with reference to user feedback." It was.