Noisy environments such as construction, oil and gas production, manufacturing, mining, sports and entertainment, and transportation, generate high-levels of noise. This noise is created by use of equipment, environment, and weather, when combined, makes voice and audio the wrong and dangerous method to communicate to workers. For these environments, Tractouch Mobile is developing a new but familiar use of communications, "vibration" as the Lexicon for communicating in loud environments.
Tractouch Mobile is developing a Bluetooth Lower Energy (BLE) electronics embedded mobile platform, mobile application, and Software as a Service (SaaS), solution to solve communications in these noisy environments. Our solution allows trained workers to communicate securely and clearly conditions regarding their safety and security by using their method of communications they have been trained for that used used in the field of work. Instead of using line-of-sight visuals, workers will utilize Tractouch Mobile solution to communicate known meanings, hence their lexicon of communications familiar to them.
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Accessory
From our embedded platform we have developed our BLE accessory that when paired to a smartphone, will replace the method of notification for alerting the user of incoming calls, messages or events.
Our first vibration haptic accessory has several innovations such as a vibration force of 6 G-force, compared to today's smartphone of .5G. The accessory is very smart that can auto-adjust the G-force based on the ambient sound pressure levels (SPL), thus providing a sensing status of its location.
Mobile Application
In order for the BLE Accessory be controlled by the user, we have developed an Android Mobile Application that enables the user to control the accessory's vibration haptic motor functionalities:
Amplitude/Modulation
Association of Vibration Patterns to individual's in their contact list, calendar or messages
Vibration patterns specific to the known lexicon utilized by the company
Geolocation
Sensing technologies for SPL
Association of vibration patterns by Contact Lists
Business Intelligence Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
Part of creating our first BLE accessory, is to make it smart by having the ability to remotely capture embedded information store in the device where this information is converted to intelligent information for action by relevant business managers. With our tight integration between the mobile app, BLE device, and our SaaS, relevant data elements can be presented for taking decisions of safety and security, communications, as well as mitigate potential environmental hazards. Below are important data element samples that are relevant to the individuals needing to know if calls, messages or events, and alerts ("mobile sessions") were noticed by the person whom the sessions were intended for that includes:
Amplitude Vibration Pattern
Duration of Vibration Pattern
Time and Date of Vibration
Number of Vibrations per Session Class
Proximity of ground worker to motor machine
Proximity of ground worker to ground and height hazards
Messaging and Alerting with Feedback Confirmations
Federal, State and County Noise Exposure
This important and relevant information elements are crucial to safety managers and supervisors, vehicle and machine dispatchers, fleet managers, crew chiefs, project managers, as well as those managers who are responsible for the safety whereabouts of their employees. Furthermore, this information becomes crucial in the event of worker compensation litigation, lawsuits, notification of perils and other relevant safety notification situations.
Wearables and Our Embedded Vibration Haptic Platform
As wearables become more available, we strongly believe that our vibration haptic embedded technology will accommodate various design form factors for wearables. To that, we believe our BI SaaS platform can play a major role with visual wearables like Google ® Glass where the more advanced visual technologies become the more information these devices will amass creating information that our SaaS offering will convert to intelligent information that is actionable. We are also thinking how our SaaS offering will be relevant when visual technologies blend-in with Augmented Reality technologies; this we are incredibly excited and eager to work out the use-cases and user adoptions.
