Advancing work safety and operational efficiency in heavy industries with Bosch Sensortec

• Tagvance uses innovative technologies to provide real-time data and automated reporting solutions to heavy industry customers operating in complex environments such as construction sites, logistics centers and shipyards.
• Their system collects a variety of environmental data via the Arduino Nicla Sense ME featuring Bosch Sensortec sensors integrated into workers' helmets, as well as smart cameras and audio sensors on site, enabling improved safety and efficiency.
• IoT nodes and wearable tags running on microcontrollers use sensor fusion with TinyML to analyze and transmit data in small byte sizes that do not require continuous transmission bandwidth, and the low-power components enable the solution to remain operational for several years.

Tagvance is a Singapore-based start-up that enhances heavy industry operations in complex environments like construction sites and logistics centers by collecting, analyzing, and displaying real-time data in a visual dashboard that improves operational efficiency, capacity utilization, and workplace safety.

Construction sites are often hazardous and ensuring workplace safety is a challenging task for HSE managers. To address this problem and ensure safety in hazardous construction sites, Tagvance integrates the Arduino Nicla Sense ME featuring Bosch Sensortec sensors into workers' helmets, collecting a wide range of environmental data and using wearable tags for real-time localization.

Sensing solutions from Bosch Sensortec including motion sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers are used in fusion with relative altitude from the barometric pressure sensor to classify activity and – for example – understand if a worker is in danger of falling from height. Smart cameras are used to verify safety compliance, and even audio sensors are used to detect equipment sound.

IoT nodes and wearable tags running on microcontrollers use sensor fusion with TinyML to draw conclusions about what is happening from the collected data. This data is matched to location using Bluetooth® Low Energy positioning and then transmitted via LoRa® radios, allowing logs in the cloud to be matched with work permits, exclusion zones, and timesheets from ERP pipelines. The system creates a comprehensive digital map of locations, near misses, incidents and metrics that is displayed on a visual dashboard in seconds.

Tagvance has ensured that the system works reliably indoors, where physical obstacles and interference can hinder direct communication with workers and equipment. The system uses IoT nodes distributed throughout the monitoring area and benefits from the long range, robustness and depth of LoRa® technology. In addition, the use of TinyML allows data to be transmitted to the back office in small byte sizes that do not require continuous transmission bandwidth. Finally, the system's low-power components allow the portable tags to remain operational for several years.

Watch the interview with Tagvance, conducted by Stefano Implicito of Arduino, to learn more. Learn more about Tagvance.