Ricoh Unveils SynTact Prototype Exploring the Future of Intelligent Workplaces
Short intro:
Ricoh is showcasing SynTact, an experimental interactive prototype exploring how advanced sensing, artificial intelligence and robotics could shape the workplaces of the future. Developed in collaboration with Ars Electronica Futurelab, SynTact will be presented at the Ars Electronica Festival 2026 in Linz, Austria.
Exploring a New Generation of Intelligent Environments
Ricoh has announced SynTact, a research prototype designed to explore how people could interact with technology and physical environments in more natural and intuitive ways.
The project combines Ricoh’s proprietary sensing technology, machine learning and robotics to demonstrate how everyday objects and surfaces could potentially become intelligent interfaces capable of recognising and responding to human interaction in real time.
Rather than simply detecting whether someone is present, SynTact explores how future environments might understand what is being touched, how it is being touched and the nature of that interaction.
From Smart Workplaces to Responsive Workplaces
Sensors are already widely used in modern workplaces to monitor areas such as occupancy, energy consumption and space utilisation.
SynTact looks beyond these established applications.
Ricoh’s research explores the concept of More-than-Human-Computer Interaction, extending traditional Human-Computer Interaction to include relationships with other entities such as plants and robots.
This could eventually contribute to workplaces and public environments that respond more naturally to people, creating richer experiences while helping organisations better understand how their spaces are being used.
Potential applications of this type of technology could include:
- Intelligent and responsive workplaces
- Digital twins
- Smart buildings
- Advanced workplace analytics
- Interactive customer environments
- AI-powered physical interfaces
A Living Plant Becomes an Interactive Interface
At the centre of the SynTact installation is a particularly unusual demonstration: a living plant enhanced with robotic tendrils.
The plant responds differently depending on how visitors interact with it. Ricoh uses the installation to demonstrate how sensing, robotics and intelligent feedback could allow physical objects to respond to subtle human behaviour.
While SynTact is currently an experimental research prototype rather than a commercial Ricoh product, it offers a practical glimpse at how future connected environments might become increasingly responsive to the people using them.
Ricoh and Ars Electronica Futurelab
Ricoh has been collaborating with Ars Electronica Futurelab since 2022, investigating the future of work through a combination of technology, creativity and research.
SynTact is the latest result of this collaboration, bringing together sensing technology, machine learning, robotics and design.
Ricoh CTO Yasuyuki Nomizu explained that as technologies including AI, robotics and digital twins continue to develop, the challenge is moving beyond simply creating smarter technology towards building experiences that feel more natural, intuitive and meaningful.
The SynTact project allows Ricoh’s researchers to test these ideas through real-world interaction and use the findings to inform longer-term research and development.
SynTact at Ars Electronica Festival 2026
SynTact will be demonstrated as part of the Open Futurelab programme at the Ars Electronica Festival.
Event: Ars Electronica Festival 2026
Theme: FUTURE BEGINS – NEGOTIATING HUMANITY
Dates: 9–13 September 2026
Location: Linz, Austria
Exhibition: Open Futurelab, Ars Electronica Center
The festival brings together researchers, technology companies, artists and educational institutions to explore emerging technologies and the changing relationship between technology and society.
About Ricoh
Ricoh is a global technology and workplace transformation company operating in approximately 200 countries and regions.
The company provides digital workplace services and solutions incorporating technologies including artificial intelligence, alongside its long-established expertise in printing, imaging and industrial technologies.
For the financial year ending March 2026, Ricoh Group reported worldwide sales of approximately ¥2.61 trillion (US$16.4 billion).
As workplace technology continues to evolve, research projects such as SynTact demonstrate how Ricoh is investigating the next generation of interaction between people, AI, technology and the physical workplace.
Excerpt (for homepage):
Ricoh has unveiled SynTact, an experimental prototype combining advanced sensing, AI and robotics to explore how future workplaces and intelligent environments could respond naturally to human interaction.
