Zebra rolls out MotionWorks Proximity so enterprises can track worker social distancing, COVID-19 contact tracing
latest developments
Coronavirus: Business and technology in a pandemic
From cancelled conferences to disrupted supply chains, not a corner of the global economy is immune to the spread of COVID-19.
Read More
Zebra Technologies is rolling out Zebra MotionWorks Proximity, a system to sense and alert frontline workers when they are too close to co-workers and offer contact tracing.
The company’s proximity alerts, and contact tracing are delivered via software updates and Zebra is working to certify as many of its Android devices as it can.
Robert Armstrong, vice president of marketing at Zebra, said essential industries in the company’s wheelhouse–notably industrial, supply chain facilities and distribution–contacted Zebra about layering in proximity sensors and technology while preserving existing investments.
Armstrong added that the MotionWorks Proximity was also used at the company so it could adapt its own supply chain and reopening requirements. MotionsWorks Proximity meets requirements for various government guidelines and is part of a new category of software designed for the new normal as economies reopen. ServiceNow and Salesforce have also rolled out platforms.
- Salesforce launches new Work.com products for post-coronavirus planning
- ServiceNow launches four-app suite to manage the move back to the office
Zebra’s technology has a cloud dashboard with proximity and contact tracing analytics and reports for employers to assess compliance. MotionWorks Proximity is integrated with Zebra’s Savanna data platform. The data is tied to an employee ID or anonymized user ID to protect privacy. MotionWorks Proximity also uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Wi-Fi and doesn’t require on-site services and requires an app.
Armstrong said the dashboard is designed to surface insights for various shifts. For example, an enterprise could see that the second shift on Wednesdays in a plant has more social distancing issues and COVID-19 incidences. The data also surfaces data about what employees were near an infected co-worker and for how long.