Image from Lopos

Imec spinoff Lopos, with the Ghent University (Belgium) announced the Lopos SafeDistance wearable for promoting safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As businesses attempt to return to in-person activities, the collaboration designed the wearable device to warn employees through an audible or haptic alarm when they are violating social distancing guidelines as they approach each other.

The Lopos SafeDistance wearable uses Lopos’ ultra wideband (UWB) technology originated from R&D at Imec and the Ghent University. When two wearables approach each other, the exact distance is measured and an alarm is activated when the minimum distance is not respected, according to a news release.

Having operated successful pilots at medium and large companies in the chemical, metal and construction industry, Lopos now intends to scale up to mass production. The company said in the release that it already received multiple large-scale orders over the last few weeks and will make SafeDistance available on May 27 at a price of $108.42 (€99) per device.

“In order to limit the spread of COVID-19 as much as possible, it is crucial that we adhere to the social distancing guidelines set by international health experts and governments. The SafeDistance wearable is an intuitive solution that endorses social distancing guidelines in a professional environment. Employees can easily carry the wearable via a clip on the hip or a lanyard and rest assured that they are working within a safe distance,” Lopos CEO Jen Rossey said in the release. “Our solution works as a standalone solution; no gateway, server or other infrastructure is required, no personal data are logged.”

$1 = €0.913092