Nya positioneringslösningar för industriell säkerhet genom internationellt samarbete

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With an aim to combat workplace accidents and enhance industrial safety, the Swedish Institute has funded the SafeWork project under its Cooperation Grants Baltic Sea Neighbourhood Programme. Work accidents remain a significant concern, with Eurostat reporting 2.7 million cases in the EU alone in 2020. These statistics underscore the urgency of implementing effective safety measures to protect workers' well-being.

Real-time positioning to ensure safety or workers

SafeWork represents an initiative aimed at developing a state-of-the-art workforce location management system to ensure the safety of workers in highly automated industries. This system will enable real-time positioning and tracking of people, vehicles, assets, and potential hazards, significantly reducing workplace accidents, and improving operational efficiency.

The project unites a consortium of leading technical universities across the Baltic Sea region, including Mid Sweden University, Poznan University of Technology, Poland, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania, and Tallinn University of Technology. This collaboration brings together a diverse array of expertise from signal processing to wireless systems design, setting the stage for innovative solutions in worker safety.

The consortium has regular project meetings.

Recent consortium meetings have highlighted the project's progress and outlined strategies for leveraging emerging technologies such as 5G and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and the associated challenges. The primary goal is to develop precise positioning techniques for real-time monitoring, implement predictive movement analysis to prevent accidents, and establish a robust notification system to alert workers and supervisors of impending dangers.

“In our recent findings, through proper carrier-phase measurements, mitigation of indoor propagation adverse effects, and tracking, centimeter-level accuracy is already in sight. In parallel, we are working on solutions to fit our solution to the telco ecosystem or private 5G networks”, says Aamir Mahmood, the project coordinator from Mid Sweden University.

“Our aim is not just to develop a system but to create a scalable and flexible solution that can be adopted by industries of varying sizes and complexities", he continues.

SafeWork's long-term impact is expected to be profound, enhancing safety and productivity across industries. By fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing, the project is poised to stimulate innovation and resilience, paving the way for a safer and more sustainable industrial future.