Is augmented reality the future of farming?
Imagine a farmer being able to tell a paddock’s pasture cover and dry matter content just by looking at it, or accessing information about a cow’s body condition score in the same way.
SoloProtect, a conventional ID badge holder, is now carried by 150,000 solo workers worldwide, says the maker, the UK firm Connexion2.
Discreet activation with a single button push sends GPS location data and audio to a 24/7 alarm receiving centre; in a ‘man down’ situation activation is automatic.
Connexion2 managing director Craig Swallow was at the Institute of Directors conference in Auckland last month. He says the proposed worker health and safety legislation in New Zealand is “going the same way as is taking place offshore”.
In the UK, users of SoloProtect include sales reps and factory workers, who work in shifts, and milk tanker drivers employed by major processors Dairy Crest and Muller Dairy.
He says the uptake among farmers is limited in the UK now but the company has been targeting mostly large employers. “[Farming] is a sector that is relatively new to understanding risks… farmers don’t necessarily perceive the risk they might face.
“Big organisations like Dairy Crest are picking it up; they understand the legal responsibility.”
Reputation management is also a key, he says, “because these big businesses appreciate that their share price will drop if they have an incident that causes the death of a worker.”
The cost of SoloProtect will be volume related – not more than a cellphone data package. The device is supplied free and users pay a monthly charge for service.
“Charges will be volume dependent; users could number one or five to hundreds so there will be a sliding scale of charges.”
SoloProtect’s biggest users are in the UK and the US; launching is also underway in Germany and the Netherlands.
“SoloProtect provides the only lone worker device in the world specifically designed as an identity card holder in order to be easy to wear and discreet to use,” says Swallow.
“That is then backed by full 24/7 monitoring and client support during a contracted term.”
SoloProtect is marketed in New Zealand by NZ Lone Worker Solutions.
