Mobile devices promise greater security and productivity – Indianapolis Business Journal

Adapting to Industry 4.0 often involves adding sensors to machines and collecting data from robots. But it could also mean using sensors to monitor employees – to see not only what they’re doing and how they’re doing it, but also whether they’re working safely.

Wearable devices that can track location, movement and environmental factors such as temperature, air quality and light are growing in popularity both in the United States and abroad, according to an intelligent manufacturing industry study.

Wisconsin-based Rockwell Automation, which makes devices for use in industrial applications, says 81% of more than 1,500 respondents to its annual smart manufacturing survey said they plan to adopt wearables in 2024. In a health and safety publication EHS Today estimated that by the end of this year, the wearables industry will have spent nearly $3 billion on manufacturing applications alone.

Mitch Landess, vice president of innovation and digital transformation at Conexus Indiana, said wearable devices in the workplace could include Google Glass, smart glasses that allow companies to see what their employees see, as well as devices that measurements of the employee’s environment to monitor temperature and air quality.

Ergonomic sensors—worn on the hip, back, or shoulder—can alert a user or manager when an employee is moving in an unsafe way, such as using poor posture when lifting something heavy. This may prompt employees to adjust their actions or managers to provide additional training.

Much less common are wearable robots – which can be a type of exoskeleton designed to enhance, train or supplement motor functions – or even implanted or ingestible devices.

Regardless of how wearable technology is implemented, experts say it can help companies not only monitor employee productivity but also protect them and the company’s products.

“It’s about trying to understand capacity utilization and whether the physicality of the tasks being performed is creating an undue burden,” Landess said. “These devices create data from them.

“These wearable devices will let you know when someone is spending time in a particularly noisy environment or in a place that is not temperature-controlled, or is making repetitive movements in a way that could cause (injuries) over time.”

However, devices – whether they are used in an industrial setting or for personal purposes such as health and fitness – can also raise concerns and questions about data privacy.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office report on wearable worker technology found that workers surveyed as part of a pilot test of wearable devices expressed concerns about being tracked. It also said data stored on wearable devices could be vulnerable to hackers because software updates can be difficult and many devices lack strong encryption.

“Because wearable devices can collect private information (e.g., work hours, breaks, sleep hours, interests, habits, social circles, and even health data), it is unclear who actually owns the user’s data and how they intend to use the data ” wrote four researchers from Iowa State University in a study on wearable technology in the workplace. “The information collected may facilitate bias, prejudice and discriminatory behavior in the workplace. Wearables and mobile computing devices are also susceptible to security vulnerabilities and data breaches.

Still, the report called the prospects for industrial equipment “very promising.”

Reduce damage and costs

In Argos and Plymouth, manufacturing and machining company Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Cos. developed a program using Google Glass to support the production process. A company can monitor industrial operations through a wearable device, using cameras in the glasses to capture images that can be analyzed by managers or software and used to monitor the assembly process and worker activity.

And Monticello-based drainage pipe manufacturer Fratco is using a wearable device from Des Moines-based MakuSafe to monitor conditions at its facility and employee movements. The company learned about the product – worn as a wristband – at a meeting of the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network, a network of companies in the 10-county region that is working to deploy internet-connected sensors and promote next-generation manufacturing practices.

Bill Champion, Fratco’s chief operating officer, said the device was first deployed at the company’s facility in Algona, Iowa, after extensive worker injuries and workers’ compensation losses. The purpose of investing in the system – offered as a monthly subscription covering the devices themselves and the accompanying software – was to reduce security problems and associated costs.

“We wanted to try everything, and the pitch (MakuSafe) actually made sense, even though it was never within our reach – there was no wearable device,” Champion said.

He said injuries and workers’ compensation claims, as well as costs at this facility, have dropped dramatically since the company began using the technology. “There is no denying that there is a correlation between wearables and dramatically improved loss experiences,” he said.

He said that while some Fratco employees expressed skepticism about being monitored, the company continued to emphasize that wearable devices were equally about holding the company accountable for the situations it puts workers in.

“The device (helps) inform the employee about practices that may contribute to injury or create a hazard in the workplace, while also helping us as a company to remediate areas and practices in the workplace that may contribute to an unsafe work environment.” – said Champion.

MakuSafe, which has many customers in Indiana, says it does not collect biometric data such as sweat levels, heart rate or personal information.

Tom West, vice president of marketing at MakuSafe, said the company’s Ally device “passively” records data about employee environments. This is different from some wearable devices that monitor certain health metrics of employees to make sure they are not overexerting themselves.

He said the data collected by MakuSafe devices was designed to be integrated with a company’s existing monitoring systems, rather than requiring companies to purchase information distillation programs.

MakuSafe devices also track the location of other devices on the network, which helps with disease contact tracing and monitoring employees’ distance from each other. However, West said the devices are not intended to continuously monitor employees’ locations.

The device also offers a voice memo option, which allows employees to report their own experiences or safety concerns at their discretion.

“We do not collect any data that can be used to hold employees accountable because this holds the management team accountable for fixing problems before they occur,” West said. “There are no sensors pointing inside the employee. Instead, they seek outdoor experiences and exposure. We don’t care how many times you used the bathroom or how long you stayed in the break room.

“Our device looks for situations when working conditions exceed normal thresholds, when something crosses the line into a potential hazard, or when slips, trips or high-force movements occur, so we can proactively keep workers safe.”

As Champion noted, this could help reduce workers’ compensation claims and lower insurance premiums. In fact, MakuSafe is a formal partner of Lafayette-based Henriott Group, which provides commercial insurance services.

Zach Finn, Henriott’s director of risk management, said the devices are “first and foremost about employer responsibility,” not about getting employees in trouble.

“It’s definitely the approach that everyone is taking, and I think it’s the right approach,” he said. “It certainly comes with an increase in productivity. … By improving safety, you are likely dramatically improving productivity.”

Spread the word

Finn said that as groups like Conexus and Wabash Heartland Innovation Network continue to inform their members and industry companies about wearables, he expects his and other device companies will be able to benefit – as well as themselves companies and their employees.

“Indiana does some very good things when it comes to promoting the use of innovative technologies, including welcoming technology startups like ours,” he said. “There is a shift from being content to write a check for (worker’s compensation) losses to finding solutions and ways to work with policyholders to anticipate and prevent claims and incidents and reduce expenses.”

Denver-based StrongArm Technologies, whose device resembles a vest and places a sensor between the shoulder blades, is working with one manufacturer in Indiana. StrongArm declined to identify the company, citing a confidentiality agreement.

Carlos Aviña, senior director of customer success at StrongArm, said the company does not allow its devices to be used to punish employees. Instead, he said, the devices and the data they collect are intended to help streamline discussions between company leaders and what StrongArm calls the “industrial athletes” who work at those facilities.

If a person is engaged in work, “there is always a risk of hurting themselves if they are not trained, and technology … can help bring that (risk) to their attention,” Aviña said.

MakuSafe’s West said it expects that as the industry evolves, more companies will invest in wearable devices and share more information with manufacturers and logistics companies. He said internal surveys show the company’s Ally device has overall improved employee morale and communication between employees and company management.

“The market is changing rapidly,” he said. “Technology has ensured that we are constantly on a digital transformation journey, both personally and at work. So we’re all on this team and… as long as this conversation continues, we see people on the front lines getting better. The results of these cultural studies are higher.

“Where talent and retention are in short supply and attractiveness is as important as ever, especially in the manufacturing industry,” he said, “this could be a game changer.”

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