Will wearable tech change the game for factory workers?

LIKE MOST technology markets, the wearables market moves quickly. The ’80s were very experimental, with Casio even producing a watch that contained a thermometer, and Seiko launching a watch with a mini-TV screen. Wearable tech didn’t truly become useful until the ‘00s though, with the first Bluetooth headset launching in 2004. The GoPro wearable camera was the next big launch in the industry, and today every other person seems to have a Fitbit or Apple Watch device to count their steps, track their movement and monitor their heart rate. The point is, stuff we considered outside the realm of possibility just a couple of decades ago, like easy hands-free communication, has become normalised very quickly.

According to Statista, the number of connected wearable devices worldwide is expected to grow to over 1.1 billion in 2022, facilitated largely by the advent of widespread 5G rollouts. There’s little doubt that the discovery of new use-cases, such as the application of wearables in workplaces, will contribute greatly to this increase. In that regard, the COVID-19 pandemic has acted has a huge catalyst, with many essential workplaces such as hospitals and factories looking for new ways to keep their businesses moving while maintaining social distancing and limiting contact. The wearables market, it seems, was made for 2020.

The dawn of industrial wearables

When we think about wearables, we often think of them as being every-day conveniences, allowing us to take calls while driving, or track our route while out for an afternoon jog. This is true enough, but the real game-changing application for wearable technology might well be on the factory floor. Wearable tech is all about the exchange and merging of real-time data, something which industrial factories absolutely depend on for efficiency and productivity. The ideal wearable will remove some of the steps needed to achieve a certain goal, either by relaying information in a hands-free way, or allowing workers to carry out a particular action with minimal effort or movement.

Take Motorola’s HC1 for example. It’s a head-mounted device that can sit under a helmet, and offers a camera, barcode scanner, audio feed and visual aid. It may be considered clunky by today’s standards, but it’s a great example of how wearables can find a home in a factory setting. With it, workers are able to scan barcodes with a simple heads-up display, receive video and audio telepresence and even track biometrics to uncover and resolve workflow issues.

The thing about the HC1 and similar devices, however, is that they’re add-ons. For wearables to truly take off in a factory setting, they need to merge seamlessly with everyday equipment such as helmets, overalls, and other essential equipment. That’s where 2020 has really begun to make its mark in the evolution of wearable technology.

The COVID catalyst

When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the first national lockdown in March 2020, not a single business was prepared. There was no blueprint for how to manage such a crisis, and workplaces simply had to adapt and get on with it. For offices and those businesses heavily engaged in digital transformation and cloud migration, the switch to ‘agile’ and remote working was at least a possibility. But for essential workers and factories, that simply wasn’t an option. Work had to continue in many instances, but with stringent physical distancing and hygiene rules in place that slowed things down and even rendered some equipment, such as handheld walkie-talkies or factory vehicles, hazards in their own right.

One of the easiest ways to limit contact is by leveraging hands-free technology in the most seamless and friction-free way possible. Factories don’t want to add additional equipment into the mix in order to solve a problem like hands-free communication. They ideally want a solution that merges with stuff they already use on a day-to-day basis, like PPE (personal protective equipment). The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for many reasons, but if there’s any small silver lining it’s that factories are starting to wake-up to wearable tech in a way that they hadn’t before, uncovering new efficiencies along the way.

Introducing smart PPE

When we think of wearable tech we often think of communication. Bluetooth headsets have always been useful but never truly dependable, and it’s only since the onset of the pandemic that dedicated, robust and reliable hands-free communications have become a necessity rather than a luxury. If a Bluetooth headset fails, for instance, the last thing workers want to do is start crossing the factory floor, messing with their devices or - at least during a pandemic - touching surfaces like phones and intercoms unnecessarily. Traditional button-press intercom systems and shared walkie-talkies are now considered less than ideal. It’s no longer practical for a worker to have to constantly handle multiple surfaces in order to communicate, all while adhering to the strict use of PPE (personal protective equipment) to avoid cross-contamination. This conundrum has accelerated the adoption of so-called “smart PPE”, and it’s just what factory floors need to stay COVID-secure without compromising on the thing most vital to their operations - communication.

The idea behind Smart PPE is a simple one, but it represents one of the most effective applications of wearable technology to date. If a worker is required to wear a visor, helmet, overalls, or a pair of safety goggles for a several-hour shift, surely it makes sense to maximise that space and fit it with communication-enabling technology. That makes sense, but is Bluetooth the answer?

Enhanced connectivity

Bluetooth technology is ubiquitous and heavy relied upon, but it’s not without its flaws. For one, Bluetooth has an incredibly limited range, often only spanning up to 100 meters. It’s also incredibly volatile, particularly when there are many devices in use with walls and objects littering the environment. This makes Bluetooth impractical in places like factories and industrial plants - vast, crowded buildings, where instant and dependable communication is vital. Some industrial plants have gotten around this by ‘daisy-chaining’ intercom systems together in order to cover a wider area, but this often leads to errors that break the line of communication.

What has made wearable comms viable for workers in a post-COVID landscape is something called wireless mesh networking. In a short space of time, wireless mesh technology has elevated PPE to a whole new level, dramatically increasing its value and usefulness. Existing PPE items, such as overalls, helmets and visors, can easily be fitted with the technology, making hands-free communication possible between individuals up to a mile apart. There’s no ‘base station’ needed, and the wireless mesh network is entirely self-sufficient, meaning it goes where workers go. Even beyond the need for social distancing, the advantages to frictionless, wearable communication in the form of ‘smart PPE’ are virtually limitless.

Shachar Harari is chief business officer & head of Cardo Crew

https://www.cardocrew.com/