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Portable chips designed to track the speed and movement of elite sports stars are rolling out at the factory, as the world’s largest corporations search for novel ways to restart operations in the coronavirus era.
With sports leagues suspended worldwide, the devices, which generally measure the performance of NBA and NFL players in real time, are delivered to workers in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States.
Used by teams like the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls for basketball, and the Paris St Germain for soccer, sensors designed by the Munich-based startup Kinexon that are smaller than a matchbox They measure the proximity of manufacturing personnel to ensure that physical distance remains in place.
If two devices get close, they emit warning signals and record how long the close contact lasted.
Private sector companies worldwide are competing to develop applications and other tracking tools that can monitor the movement of individual workers in offices, warehouses and manufacturing plants. They hope to create tools that allow businesses to get back to work quickly, while protecting against outbreaks in the workplace.
However, tracking employee movements has raised concerns about data privacy, while critics have questioned the accuracy of the technology that doesn’t factor in other factors, such as protective gear.
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Kinexon’s product, called SafeZone, is already being used by one of the largest auto parts manufacturers, as well as by multinational logistics companies and food suppliers. Employees can wear the sensors on their wrists or attach them to their ID cards.
The company claims that SafeZone, which uses ultra-broadband tracking technology, is 10 times more accurate than tracking tools based on bluetooth or wireless internet connections.
The technology will also allow managers to track the movements of a worker who becomes infected with Covid-19 and alert those with whom they have been in contact, although Kinexon will have no personal data.
“We just collect the sensor ID, distance and time stamp, we don’t know the names of the people behind the IDs,” said co-founder Oliver Trinchera, adding that the companies would be responsible for matching the anonymized data with the data. specific. employees.
Founded in 2012 by graduates of the Technical University of Munich, Kinexon, which has closed two rounds of funding, already works with some of the titans of the German industry, including BMW, Audi and Continental.
The sensors can be worn on the wrists or attached to ID cards © KINEXON
Its technologies help drive so-called “digital factories,” where assets and tools can be remotely optimized to suit specific tasks and personal property can be tracked in real time.
However, the company’s original focus was on real-time sports data. Its sensors and software provide in-depth analysis by monitoring players’ heart rates and sweat, as well as their movements, allowing coaches to adjust tactics as the game progresses. The devices also measure fatigue and can help prevent injury.
The Kinexon product has been scaled down to meet Covid-19’s precise prevention needs. “It is a very simple and understandable product,” said Kinexon co-founder Alexander Hüttenbrink.
