Hands-Free Wearables for Industrial Applications

If you are a professional working in a warehouse and need to scan and move boxes you will probably know how important it is to keep your hands free in order to not interrupt your work every minute. Gun shaped barcode scanners aren’t the best solution for mobile workers that’s why some companies came up with the idea of creating new scanning solutions that are comfortable to wear.

Honeywell has various solutions for professional use. What do you think about a ring instead of the gun-shaped barcode scan? The Honeywell 8650 ring scanner is an easy-to-wear and use productivity tool. It combines Bluetooth® wireless connectivity with hands-free usability and a range of scanning options. It reads both 1D and 2D barcodes, and features enhanced white LED illumination. Strap and connector design allows workers to wear the scanner on the back of the hand or on the arm – left or right. The small, lightweight device rests on the finger, with the Bluetooth® module worn on the wrist.  Once in use, the Bluetooth ring scanner reliably transmits critical data from up to 30 feet away.

Proglove was a finalist of the WT | Innovation World Cup 2015 for the category Safety&Security and a winner of the IoT/M2M Innovation World Cup for the Category Industry 4.0. They launched Mark, a smart glove for scanning goods and for industrial use such us production and logistics. Process steps can be documented hands-free via 2D barcode engine. Therefore, tracking and tracing parcel or manufacturing parts come down to a simple glove scan. The worker gets direct feedback to their working steps via optical, acoustic, and even haptic feedback. Integrated gesture sensors open the possibility for gesture control. The core of the design of the smart glove ‘Mark’ is an implemented computer unit and a working glove that can be easily replaced when it wears out.

Zebra Technologies also developed a Bluetooth ring scanner that will assist you in troubleshooting most common issues on your mobile computing device. The ring includes programmable LED lights that are in the user’s direct line of sight. With support for multiple colors, you can provide color-coded feedback to direct user activity.

But this is not the first time we feature wearables for professionals, a while ago we also wrote about different wearables to help workers make their tasks faster and easier. Wearables for industrial processes are a hot topic. If you want to learn about the new technologies for this field don’t miss out our next upcoming Conference in Munich on February 7-8 where this will be a key topic!

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