Amazon introduces social-distancing tool that alerts employees when they're too close
Tool uses monitor, camera and local computing device to alert employees
Amazon on Tuesday introduced a tool that uses a monitor, camera and local computing device to alert employees when they are not socially distancing.
The new tool comes after workers at Amazon's Staten Island, New York, warehouse sued the tech giant earlier this month over poor working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. The workers are asking for more workplace protections instead of a cash reward if they win.
One of Amazon's earliest solutions to promote worker health and safety during COVID-19 "applies artificial intelligence and machine learning to the camera footage in [its] buildings to help site leaders identify high-traffic areas and implement additional measures to improve social distancing," Amazon Robotics Vice President and Distinguished Engineer Brad Porter said in a Tuesday blog post.
That technology has since evolved into an even more complex social-distancing tool that Porter calls Amazon's "Distance Assistant," which uses "augmented reality to create a magic-mirror-like tool" that encourages employees try to stay at least six feet apart to help prevent the virus from spreading in warehouse and distribution facilities.
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Porter said the tool was inspired by feedback from workers who wanted more visual feedback related to social distancing and existing technology radar speed-check signs.
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"Our 'Distance Assistant' provides employees with live feedback on social distancing via a 50-inch monitor, a camera, and a local computing device," Porter explained. "The standalone unit uses machine learning models to differentiate people from their surroundings. Combined with depth sensors, it creates an accurate distance measurement between associates."
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As employees walk by the monitor, they can see themselves and other employees highlighted with green circles when they are six feet apart, or red circles when they are closer, to remind and encourage employees to remain six feet apart.
Workers at Amazon's fulfillment center in Staten Island, N.Y., gather outside to protest work conditions in the company's warehouse in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
The new tool can be "quickly deployed to building entrances and other high-visibility areas," and various installations are already live at "a handful" of Amazon buildings.
The tech giant has also incorporated thermal-detection cameras at some of its facilities, meant to help identify workers who may have fevers and are therefore at risk of carrying COVID-19; mandatory forehead temperature checks at entrances; and it has even started testing employees for the virus using self-administered nasal swabs as part of a pilot program.
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An Amazon spokesperson previously told FOX Business that the company has made more than 150 "significant process changes" at its facilities, including the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) for all employees, regular facility cleanings and hand-washing stations.
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Jana Jumpp, an Amazon employee who has been tracking confirmed COVID-19 cases at the company's facilities across the U.S. for months, has recorded more than 1,000 cases and nine deaths, according to the Los Angeles Times. Workers have protested and spoken out about what they feel are unsafe working conditions and demanded the company make immediate changes to protect employees.
