“Ahh, boss, hat talking!” - a smart helmet for production

We are developing the direction of wearable electronics: we work with bracelets, native biometrics, wearable RFID tags, there are mobile Holters for ECG removal for lifeguards, and so on. The helmet became a logical continuation, because many people need it. A helmet (more precisely, an IoT module that modifies any helmet) fits very well in the framework when there are production events and helmet events.

For example, now, when five people have already passed on the access control system turnstile, and only four in helmets, it is already clear what is wrong. Or when a worker climbed into the danger zone, where something is working now, the helmet can stop him shouting: “Wait, # $% @, where are you going?” - or immediately beat with an electric shock. By the way, the current was checked with doctors, but he did not enter the release. But flashes of light and vibration came in.

The module also includes satellite navigation, a fifth bluetooth for indoor positioning and IoT (the helmet becomes the hub of all wearable sensors and takes data from all industrial devices such as machine tools nearby), an ultra-wide range for positioning and data transfer, and a bunch of slots for improvements like in Deus Ex .

In general, welcome to a world where a helmet can be smarter than a worker! Oh, and where it’s relatively cheap.

What are the practical tasks of a helmet?

• Ensuring safety in the workplace: falls, immobility, shock is strong, because there is an accelerometer. He monitors the correct wearing (on the head and on the belt - different data).
• Job tracking. This means that when workers drink tea, the accelerometer shows other data than when moving. True, during the tests, the workers quickly realized what was happening and what they were being fined for (they were used to sleeping while a third of them were working), and they put helmets on the dogs. That is, the dogs actually ran around the construction site in them, where the primary signal was from intranavigation. I had to retrain the motion detectors. Dogs are now recognized. This is from the same opera as tractor drivers rest two tractors with buckets and wind up a run while drinking juice on the sidelines.
• Alarm button. You can press a button, and it will call security, police, ambulance, personnel officer, Sportloto or Putin. The last two functions are not yet implemented.
• Entrance to hazardous areas. As I already said, the helmet can blink in the eye and vibrate, apply current (not included in the release), prick with a needle (not included in the release) and beat in the jaw (not tested and not included in the release). It is possible to make additional sound.
• ACS - visible movement.
• Collision avoidance is an important thing for idiots to run away from trucks and other equipment. In the collision avoidance mode, the helmet interacts with a radio module mounted, for example, on a loader. Tested in several industries. In the tests there were warnings with the sound and light of an idiot and an operator of equipment. And they also thought of sending a “Bonus for artistic impression” message for matching the coordinates of helmets to someone who moved faster to match.
• Lone worker (lone worker) - the helmet asks once every N minutes (by default - 15), how are you doing. It is necessary to press the button so that it shuts up. If you do not answer, then she calls for help.
• Transfer information from wearable devices: heart rate monitors, body temperature, the environment, various sensors such as gas analyzers. Then she acts as a repeater.

• Dynamically changing hazardous areas - data from operating equipment, gas analyzers, and so on. The helmet can read them directly (if there is an interface) or through production systems through the API and raise the alarm.
• To write tracks are tasks of labor productivity, control of the execution of tasks, and so on. For example, bypass control. Now equipment bypasses in production are implemented by scanning barcodes or RFID tags on machines. I know a lot of stories when a man lays out tags at the workplace or he prints and scans them lazily. Here you can’t be fooled like that.
• Search for witnesses. You can play the incident and record who was the witness. It is necessary that a person on a career be raised and helped: you can contact the closest people.
• Evacuation - notification of personnel with a light signal on the module. Plus they can send text messages to a bracelet like "we’ll all go there."

Here are two minutes about how this works:




The event log.

Radio interfaces emit several times weaker than a typical smartphone. For example, LoRaWan emits packets no more than once every 10 seconds for several milliseconds. That is, clearly less often than the phone. Satellite navigation at the reception. Ultra-wideband signals produce very little radiation. But all the same, documents are needed. The serial version of the product complies with the requirements for certification for use in explosive atmospheres, IP67. The module works correctly in the temperature range from -40 to +85 ° С. The charge built into the battery device lasts more than a week. But, if we work constantly on the street, then for a few days: satellite navigation is the most energy-intensive technology here.

Module

• LoRaWAN-radio interface: data transmission over a distance of 15 km; unlicensed frequency range - 868 MHz.
• Satellite navigation receiver (optional): location on the street with an accuracy of 3.5 m.
• Built-in accelerometer, compass and barometer: clarification of the position of the mark in space, control of wearing, immobility, bumps, drops.
• Panic button, LED and vibration motor.
• BLE 5.0 radio interface: positioning with an accuracy of 5 m; control wearing PPE; a hub for other Bluetooth devices and sensors (for example, a bracelet with a heart rate monitor).
• UWB radio interface (optional): real-time location determination in rooms with an accuracy of 30 cm, high-speed data transmission channel.
• Power: LiPo-battery; operating time from one charge - several weeks; working temperature range: -40 + 85 ° С

What about positioning?

There is a task of positioning inside and out. For this, GPS / Glonass and IoT indoor beacons. Plus a barometer for vertical.



LoRa gives two to three kilometers in a dense urban area, they say 15 kilometers in the countryside, there are balloon tests when they passed 720 kilometers. Our device is cheaper than a good radio station (EU FT 60 - it costs 15 thousand: there are professional stations plus a headset). But we can’t answer from the helmet with a voice to the leader.

Each technology used has its own advantages and disadvantages: for example, LoRa gives a large communication range, cheap infrastructure, but low bandwidth, UWB gives high speed and accuracy, but the infrastructure at large facilities is expensive, satellite navigation does not require infrastructure, but it quickly drops a battery .

This whole story interacts with our IoT platform. Here are a couple of screenshots:


Our data center.


And there was a helmet!

Summing up: your paranoia will not be wasted in a new wonderful world. Welcome!

References

• About the helmet on CNEWS .
• Video with the analysis of TB incidents from helmets.
• About RFID tags for builders and hospitals .
• About video analytics in production .
• Breathalyzer for production .
• My mail is alysenko@croc.ru