The Rise of Wearables for Health and Safety Applications
David Su, CEO, Atmosic Technologies
As businesses and venues have looked to re-open amidst the COVID-19 crisis, there has been a growing market demand for contact tracing devices and exposure notification systems. While smartphone manufacturers started to integrate contact tracing software and applications into their devices early on in the pandemic, the ongoing challenge of smartphone access, cost and connectivity remained. Some organizations and countries have turned to wearables for an efficient contact tracing system that is both low cost and easy to manage.
Wearables provide a solution for users to stay informed about potential exposure to the virus while addressing the cost and access challenges. Wearables also can track other types of valuable information, such as temperature. This is incredibly valuable for managed environments such as factories, warehouses, theme parks, entertainment venues, etc. If an individual’s temperature goes beyond a certain threshold, their company could suggest that they go to an onsite health clinic for further evaluation. Wearables can also be designed to withstand certain conditions, like high temperatures, and be tamper and tear resistant for continuous wear. Additionally, as global travel starts to increase, visitors entering a country could be required to be monitored in order to reduce exposure.
