Such technologies are not new for the Internet of Things (IoT) firm. Based in India and Southeast Asia, the firm has long been developing human tracking and people-finding solutions for large enterprises such as universities and warehouses. Such technologies had previously been used largely for wayfinding during emergency and disaster management, as well as during large-scale MICE events where finding people can be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
For the casual visitor, stepping into one of contact tracing app Contatrack.ai’s client sites can be a discomforting experience. Immediately upon crossing the threshold, one is quickly aware of a close-circuit television camera installed prominently on the ceiling and pointed squarely in one’s direction. With around three of such devices installed throughout the office, some uninitiated guests may quickly get the eerie sensation of being watched.
But this is no dystopian corporate panopticon — the cameras are part of Indian-based IoT firm Hipla’s contact tracing solution in the fight against Covid-19. The devices allow firms to identify breaches of social distancing and mask-wearing regulations and detect patterns in human flow of traffic. With this information, says co-founder and CEO Sandeep Kaul, companies will be able to better enforce social distancing rules and develop policies to reduce potential spread of Covid-19.
