In 1879, a cartoonist named George du Maurier tried his hand at imagining what the great inventor Thomas Edison would come up with next. He titled his illustration “Edison’s Telephonoscope” and noted this wonderous device would transmit light as well as sound.

What he envisioned came very close to conceptualizing the way we use Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, and other video conferencing applications today.

Forefront, Inc., a successful cloud solutions provider has thrived by staying on the leading edge of new technologies and digital transformation. The Original Zoom Machine was the creative idea of company president Michel Berger, who wanted to show appreciation to his team for continuing to excel despite the challenges of working remotely in recent years.

The artwork honors the difficult, longstanding challenge of making video calls and conferencing a reality. Built from antiques and salvaged items yet infused with modern technology – this interactive Steampunk device offers staff a little whimsical fun and relief from what can sometimes be a stressful challenging professional endeavor.

Berger finds that combining the familiar with the novel is a way to excite the mind and inspire further creativity in the workplace.