French construction firm Bouygues is part of a team that has developed online equipment designed to improve the safety of construction workers.
After two years of joint studies, the first “online sleeve” is described by the company as a “portable terminal worn on the forearm and compatible with gloves”.
Other members of the team, including waste management company Suez and industrial gas supplier Air Liquide will use the product in their own fields. The companies developed it together in a laboratory in Grenoble, southeastern France.
The wearable tech is said to complement the customary personal protective equipment, to which it adds online capabilities.
The gadget will allow employees to be guided, informed and given help in real time when they are working in the field, and will allow workers to communicate while keeping their hands free.
It has already passed a pilot phase and will be progressively rolled out in several French regions for use by each partner’s employees.
Other modular digital tools have also been designed by the partners to further equip the “online operative”. They can be adapted according to the requirements of each partner’s business: a high-viz jacket equipped with sensors able to analyse the air, glasses with an integrated camera and safety boots allowing geolocation.
Bouygues recently announced that it would use virtual reality headsets during safety training.
Image courtesy of Bouygues
