Locks and Security News: your weekly locks and security industry newsletter
17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

Your industry news - first

We strongly recommend viewing Locks and Security News full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.

Breakthrough, wearable device, prioritises business text messages and instant personal alarming

Atus, one of Europe's leading suppliers of advanced personal security and paging systems, has introduced an entirely new product category: the new AtusSmartBadge. It works in conjunction with a Smart Phone and immediately relays business-related messages sent to that phone.

But because the ultra-lightweight SmartBadge can be worn on a lapel or clipped to a shirt pocket, those urgent messages will be seen immediately.

What's more, they can be acted upon with an accept/reject response just as instantly. This means that all urgent messages can be read and acted upon the instant they arrive at the phone. The Atus SmartBadge avoids several very common instant messaging delays. Firstly, when a message comes into a Smart Phone, the user may not hear the short audible signal. When it is heard, the user can be busy with another task and prefers to finish it before reading the message. Even when the recipient reacts immediately on hearing the new message signal, the Smart Phone has to be found, the screen unlocked, and the message app opened. All this is less than ideal - especially when the message is urgent.

The Atus SmartBadge immediately generates an always close-to-ear audible signal, it is always within reach, and you always see important business messages the instant they come in.

20 times faster than Smart Phone alone

Tests using the Atus SmartBadge indicate that urgent messages can be recalled, read and reacted upon 20 times faster than by using just a Smart Phone alone. And that's when the user reacts immediately to the new message signal.

"Atus SmartBadge not only ensures that all urgent messages are read the instant they are delivered, it saves valuable seconds in responding to them", says Maurice Wallerbosch, Atus Product Manager. "This is extremely beneficial in areas like healthcare, retail and for lone workers, especially since it can be linked to auto-messagingsuch as nurse-call, fire alarms, and building management systems."

Personal alarm

The Atus SmartBadge not only receives and displays messages, it can also send personal alarm calls along with its geo-location, so it is ideal as a personal security system. It's always within reach, and just one button-press will send a request for assistance, together with the exact location of the user. This fast, easy way to create an alarm ensures that the user can focus on dealing with the incident, not on creating an alarm. "It offers all the speed and convenience of an on-site personal security system but now with totally off-site capabilities", said Wallerbosch. "Something that until now has only been possible with on-site paging-based systems. This means that all workers can have the same security and safety protection as their on-site colleagues."

Improved productivity

The Atus SmartBadge also improves efficiency and productivity for all business Smart Phone users. "It basically filters out non-business messages, so the user is not unnecessarily interrupted, these filtered messages can be read after work hours",  says Wallerbosch. "Most people cannot resist checking their phones when a message comes in, especially if some calls are urgent, but the vast majority of text messages are non-business, so the time saved filtering them out is quite significant. Atus SmartBadge also enables business users to handle incoming voice calls more efficiently - when a call comes in you can instantly see who it is and instantly defer the call if necessary. You don't even need to look at the display. Atus SmartBadge offers several different 'bleep' and LED patterns for different emergency messages." 

Reduced clutter

The Atus SmartBadge weighs less than 40 grams, it is very compact and slim and is deliberately designed to look like an ID Badge - when there are no incoming messages the display screen can show the user's name and photo for example, or the company's logo or QR code. In fact the Atus SmartBadge is a digital ID badge with RFID. "We know that workers in healthcare and transport, for example, already wear and carry various labels and gadgets, by making the personal alarm pager also a badge, we reduce the clutter and increase the willingness to wear."

Privacy assured

Normally, the Atus SmartBadge is worn with the display screen facing outwards, but the user can also select the privacy function which only displays the message when the user tilts the product to read it - thanks to a built-in 3D sensor. Other features include:

- Robust, water- and shockproof - Easy 2-button operation - Automatic alarms; motion- and life-sense detection - Alarm location detection - Hands-free message reading - High message attention due to unique bleep patterns and LED flash - Business message prioritization - Privacy message reading function - High contrast E-paper display - Readable in direct sunlight (best display for outdoor usage) - Inductive charging in docking station - Automatic absent detection and message forwarding - Incoming phone-call name presentation with call-mute - RFID Mifare tag built-in.

Atus SmartBadge will be available from summer 2014. Sneak preview of the Atus SmartBadge on www.thesmartbadge.com

19th March 2014