Safety tech company Tended has today launched a wearable with social distancing technology. Through a range of proprietary social distancing solutions, including IoT hardware, AI and reporting tools, Tended aims to accelerate the transition back to safe working across a range of industries, rolling its wearable out to those working in construction, manufacturing, infrastructure and logistics.
Arup will provide independent and objective support to companies seeking to trial Tended’s technology, offering tailored services to review the suitability of Tended’s technology against other options, and where appropriate, to manage technology implementation and scaling. Drawing on deep experience in technology trials and rollouts, and its breadth of technical specialists working across all aspects of the built environment, Arup will help companies and their employees navigate the complex barriers that projects of this scale and urgency will face.
Using its existing wearable safety solution paired with an ultra-wideband proximity sensor, Tended can automatically notify workers if they come within a two-meter distance of each other, with the aim of getting businesses back up and running during this crucial time. The solution is made up of three elements, Tended’s existing safety wearable, an ultra-wideband proximity sensor and a smartphone. Companies set the minimum separation distance they want to enforce, and the wearable will notify employees in real-time if they come close to this distance and to move away.
Tended’s distancing solution also provides employers with an overview of any social distance breaches within their organisation and how long employees have been in contact with others. A useful feature is its ability to trace contact back. If a worker tests positive for COVID-19, employers can see who, if anyone, they have been in contact with and for how long, and send them an alert to self-isolate or get tested themselves. Privacy and security have always been a high priority for Tended, and they have developed all of their safety solutions to ensure they can’t be used to track employee whereabouts.
Leo Scott Smith CEO said: “We’re working with large corporations that have had to stop running and send their workers home because they can’t effectively enforce safe distancing measures. It costs them millions each day, and they are unable to carry out essential works. We’ve implemented ultra-wideband technology because of its incredibly high accuracy and resistance to interference, and we decided to combine it with our wearable to provide a solution that can ensure the safety of employees at work. We believe technology will provide the means to get the world moving again, and also keep people safe. We’re looking at fast development and deployment because we know we need to act now.”
