Smith & Nephew trials smart bracelets to get staff back into the office

Hasan Chowdhury
·2 min read
The technology involves wearable devices that alerts wearers when they “are getting too close to another person”
The technology involves wearable devices that alerts wearers when they “are getting too close to another person”

FTSE 100 medical manufacturer Smith+Nephew has successfully trialled “social distancing” technology in a bid to return workers to the office safely.

The Watford-headquartered firm piloted a system for three weeks known as Bump, built by British robotics firm Tharsus, to improve workplace safety by giving employees “direct, real-time feedback” about their distance from colleagues.

The technology involves wearable devices that alerts wearers when they “are getting too close to another person”. A vibration of the device gives workers a “gentle, non-intimidating” reminder if they are too close to someone.

Smith+Nephew has used the system in different environments, including laboratories, warehouses and its manufacturing floor, and Tharsus claims the system doesn’t track people’s movements.

Tharsus’ system also collects data to allow companies to monitor social distancing behaviour and identify potential hotspots in workplaces where it could prove difficult to maintain social distancing.

Brian Palmer, chief executive of Tharsus, admitted social distancing is “not always easy” in closed environments but said trials were a critical means of “illuminating social distancing pitfalls” and ensuring appropriate changes can be made.

Britain slow back to work
Britain slow back to work

“Now that workplaces are opening up to employees, the onus will be on businesses to ensure they are calibrated in a way that reduces risk to staff,” he said.

It comes as the UK government stepped up its calls last week for workers across Britain to return to the office and prevent city centres from becoming “ghost towns”.

Grant Shapps, UK transport secretary, has claimed that it is safe to go back to work in England, with offices up and down the country introducing new measures to make their spaces “covid-secure”.

“What we’re saying to people is it is now safe to go back to work and your employer should have made arrangements which are appropriate to make sure that it is coronavirus-safe to work,” Mr Shapps said.

Earlier this year, UK housebuilder Bovis Homes trialled the Bump system as a means of keeping its workers safe on sites.