Instrumentation Monthly Test | Measurement | Control
As millions of people across the globe return to work, safety remains a top concern for workers and businesses alike. However, a single case of COVID-19 can potentially close an entire facility and require decontamination before operations can restart. To protect workers and aid productivity; today, Ubisense, a global provider of real-time location intelligence solutions, launches its new enterprise contact-tracing solution for businesses to regain control over productivity and revenue.
Now globally available to a range of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, warehousing and logistics; Ubisense SmartSpace monitors the real-time location, interactions and status of people, tools and facilities. By utilising high-precision Ultra-Wideband (UWB) mobile tags and fixed sensors, businesses can accurately alert workers to safe distances and confidently respond to COVID-19 cases to track workers or spaces at risk, minimising the spread and impact on operations.
Unlike other contact tracing apps or devices, developed to fulfil a short-term social distancing requirement, Ubisense technology has been proven globally for long-term use cases. Its continuous operation in critical applications enables the digitisation of entire facilities and prepares firms for future growth. Once implemented within a facility, the same technology used for contact-tracing therefore naturally extends to ongoing evaluation, monitoring and improvement of entire operations; providing efficiencies post-COVID-19 and beyond.
“As lockdown restrictions ease, many businesses now need to operate at a much lower capacity to facilitate social distancing measures. SmartSpace identifies underutilised capacity to recoup efficiencies – which will help businesses both survive these challenging times and emerge stronger on the other side,” comments Dr Andy Ward, CTO at Ubisense.
“Current solutions on the market only use tag-to-tag distance measurements, which can easily be blocked by people’s bodies. From our experience, to get the most reliable outcomes in terms of worker safety, contact tracing solutions must be based on multiple measurements, making it possible to confidently find people’s positions in relation to fixed and moving objects. The digitisation of workplaces will continue to grow in importance over the coming months and technology that can derive ongoing intelligence will be extremely valuable to minimise spread of the virus and get businesses moving again,” Dr Ward concludes.
Precise and accurate insights mean businesses can keep facilities open, employees in work and recoup lost revenue. Intelligent insights around worker traffic, equipment usage and contact hotspots can inform cleaning schedules, policies and processes to further protect workers. Not only does the detailed, reliable data mean businesses can effectively implement and manage social distancing measures, but they can also drive efficiency – vital to any business in the current climate.
