IoT industriel & AR/VR : protéger les travailleurs dans un monde post-COVID

Points clés

• COVID-19 a reshaped comment les firmes industrielles priorisent la sécurité.
• Solutions IoT enforcent social-distancing et enable remote access to equipment, keeping workers protected.
• Technologies AR et VR supportent remote collaboration et design work.

La sécurité a longtemps été un core focus pour les fabricants, mais la pandémie a expanded its scope. En réponse, de nombreuses firms ont implemented mask mandates, enforced a minimum six-foot distance, increased automation, et restructured shifts to limit on-site presence.

« The top goal is to ensure employees feel safe », said Ben White, Vice President of Corporate Development at Taco Comfort Solutions, during a Brookings Institution webinar.

Industrial leaders are now channeling capital into IoT et immersive technologies. While operational efficiency remains the primary driver of IoT adoption, a growing emphasis is on leveraging these tools for worker safety.

Capteurs pour distanciation sociale et plus

Une approche pour maintenir les protocoles de distanciation est deploying sensors that trigger alerts when workers come too close. These systems also facilitate contact tracing. Manufacturers use a range of devices — from wearables to computer-vision cameras — to monitor proximity with centimeter-level precision.

Ford, for example, has tested RFID wristbands that vibrate when another employee approaches. The system sends real-time notifications to supervisors so they can enforce compliance. This precision is far greater than the tolerance used for asset tracking, according to David A. Horsley, Professor at UC Davis et CTO of Chirp Microsystems.

Other sectors have adopted similar measures. Göbecke Bakery in Leipzig, Germany, requires workers to wear Bluetooth tags that communicate with beacons ; an alarm sounds if someone is closer than 1.5 m (about 5 ft) for more than 15 seconds. With roughly 20 employees moving through tight spaces, this technology helps maintain safe distances.

IoT sensors can also monitor air quality in real time — tracking temperature, humidity, et airborne particulates — to assess et mitigate transmission risk, notes Richard Howells, Vice President of Solution Management at SAP Digital Supply Chain.

Accès distant aux machines

Traditional industrial operations rely on on-site staff, mais the pandemic has accelerated the need for remote equipment control. While many firms still need a physical presence, remote work for managers et technical roles is gaining traction. John White III, Senior Vice President of OEM Sales at Taco Comfort Solutions, observes that employees can often perform their duties more effectively from home, though a 100% shift to remote work is unlikely.

Realité Augmentée et Réalité Virtuelle

Manufacturers are moving engineering et design tasks online, et AR/VR technologies enable this transition. A July Grid Raster survey found that 70 % of automotive plant leaders accelerated AR/VR adoption, with 68 % citing virtual design as the primary use case. AR also supports remote collaboration, allowing teams to troubleshoot equipment together without sharing a room.

« AR is becoming very popular across enterprise and industrial settings », says Inderpreet Shoker, Senior Analyst at ARC Advisory Group.

Contrôle d'accès basé IoT

Ensuring safe entry into facilities is critical. Contactless access control systems — often paired with thermal imaging cameras — grant entry to employees while screening for elevated temperatures. They also support automated self-attestation questionnaires that confirm workers have not recently been exposed to the virus.

Smart access control can also streamline shift scheduling, reducing on-site density. Kieran Hannon, Chief Marketing Officer of Openpath, notes that manufacturers previously used IoT for physical security, but now prioritize worker safety in system design.

Véhicules autonomes, drones, et robots

Avec ridesharing et mass transit down, interest in autonomous vehicles, drones, et robots has surged in industrial settings. These technologies can automate inventory management, quality checks, et goods picking, thereby reducing the need for human presence in warehouses et factories.

« The best applications for robotics and IA are the routine, mechanical tasks that humans perform », says Richard Howells. « By automating these tasks, we free employees to focus on higher-value work while keeping them safer. »