Smart social distancing requires smart solutions. With many measures relaxed, the discipline of keeping one and a half meters of distance is becoming increasingly difficult. That is why DigitalAlerts, located in Twice | hub Beta at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, developed the Buffr: a device, slightly larger than a button, that emits a sound signal as soon as people come within 1.50 meters of each other.
The Buffr can be easily attached to clothing and when Buffr wearers come within 1.50 m. of each other, the Buffr emits an audible signal as a warning to move away. Cees van der Jagt (DigitalAlerts) explains: ''Unnoticed, people do become a bit looser with the 1.50 m. standard. The Buffr works via Bluetooth and emits sound signals as soon as it detects another Buffr within a radius of one and a half meters. This way you are immediately reminded that you are getting too close to someone."
Aimed at organizations
The technology works if the environment of users also wears a Buffr, and is therefore mainly intended for places where the same employees and visitors come, such as companies and institutions. Van der Jagt: "Think healthcare institutions, offices, factories, the construction industry, etc., among others. These are places where there is a lot of movement. It is precisely then that you run the risk of getting too close at unguarded times. If this happens too often, there is a chance that part of a company or institution could become infected, something many employees fear, according to research. A simple signal from the Buffr significantly reduces this risk. "Because of our experience with various 'Alert' applications, we can switch quickly and deliver almost immediately," said Cees van der Jagt.
Working from home and going back to the office
Van der Jagt is referring, among other things, to a survey conducted by XpertHr Flex among 1,032 employees. This shows that because of COVID-19, many employees are reluctant to go wo r among coll eagues. For employers, the Buffr is a suitable and affordable tool to responsibly contribute to minimizing employee exposure to COVID-19 through "Smart Distancing.
Privacy
Buffr emphatically wanted to stay away from any discussion of privacy in countering infections:
- No personal data need be provided
- No need to connect to a cell phone
- Data is not stored
More information can be found at www.buffr.eu
