KINETIC Introduces Wearables Against Lifting Injuries Using Intel® Technology
New York, NY (PRWEB) December 14, 2015 -- KINETIC, an industrial IoT analytics startup, unveiled a smart connected device designed to significantly reduce back injuries in the industrial workplace. Its wearable devices use sensors to detect a worker’s movements and to provide real-time feedback when potentially high-risk activities are performed.
“Lifting injuries account for the majority of worker compensation claims, “ said Haytham Elhawary, cofounder and CEO of KINEITC, “and most of these injuries are preventable.” In 2013 these injuries cost companies more than $60bn USD*, and, second only to the flu, back pain was the main cause of worker absenteeism.
KINETIC’s devices have produced dramatic results at pilot sites with large industrial companies. At Crane Worldwide Logistics, a third party logistics company, workers who used the technology reduced the number of high risk lifts performed per shift by 84%. Drawing on techniques made popular by fitness wearables, KINETIC encourages workers to compete on performing the highest number of safe lifts each shift. “We do this by generating leaderboards each day so workers can see their progress,” continues Haytham. “We were surprised that not only were workers motivated to improve, but that it also created camaraderie. At one site we saw the worker doing the best help the worker who was struggling the most.”
KINETIC’s wearable devices rely on the Intel® Edison Compute Module to directly connect to their sensors, collect the data, and perform real-time analysis in order to give feedback to the workers. The Intel® Edison Compute Module offers integrated dual-band WiFi*, Bluetooth* 4.0 support, a dual-core Intel® Atom™ processor, and an Intel® Quark™ microcontroller in a small form-factor and low-power package.
Exhibiting their product at the National Ergonomics Conference in Las Vegas in November, the KINETIC team won attendees choice award for best product at the Expo. “We’re thrilled that so many safety managers and professional ergonomists recognize the value of our product, and the benefits this can bring to their workforce,” commented Haytham.
In addition, KINETIC has partnered with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and FocusMotion, a motion recognition algorithm company, on a funded research study on a next generation wearable system for identifying multiple low back pain risk factors associated with manual lifting tasks.
KINETIC is now focused on creating a comprehensive safety program centered on their wearable product, with the intention of creating best practices for its use. To that end, KINETIC has created an Early Adopter Program where they are looking to partner with companies with a world class safety program. “This program will help companies evaluate our product and it’s roll-out on a larger scale, while being able to directly influence the data provided by our software and create best practices to ensure the greatest impact of our product on their workforce.”
About KINETIC
KINETIC is developing hardware and software products for the connected industrial workforce. Headquartered in NYC, their mission is to empower workers to stay healthy and safe, while reducing the human and financial burden of workplace injuries. KINETIC is paving the way IoT-driven solutions based on Intel® Edison Compute Modules, sensors, and cloud technology.
For more information, contact haytham(at)wearkinetic(dot)com
*Combined total of direct and indirect costs associated with medical expenses, worker comp, lost productivity, increased insurance premiums, administrative expenses, low employee morale and increased absenteeism, and more. (2013 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index)
Haytham Elhawary, Kinetic, http://www.wearkinetic.com, +1 (617) 480-8200, [email protected]
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