Wearable Technology: How It Improves Employee Safety And Efficiency In Vending And Micro Markets

“Smart glasses,” glasses with computer interfaces that can provide a user information in addition to what they can see naturally, have improved worker productivity in a number of industries, including vending. The glasses, which display information in the line of sight and allow people to use both their hands while accessing the visual information, are part of the rapidly growing wearable technology industry that is making headway in multiple industries.

Maureen Sapp, CEO at Wizzan Mobility, a provider of a smart glasses solution for vending service drivers, gave an overview of the impact wearable technology is making in vending and other industries during the Atlantic Coast Exposition in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Sapp said smart glasses can contribute productivity gains between 25 to 35 percent.

“Enterprises are seeing a lot of value in wearable technologies,” she said, since they make workers safer as well as more efficient. “It’s all about removing friction from work. Companies all over the world are already using this technology today.”

The main benefit wearable technology provides is that it makes workers more productive, Sapp said. In addition to smart glasses, Sapp said wearable technology includes activity trackers, smart watches and exoskeletons. Wearable technologies are expected to grow from the current $10 billion to $60 billion, Sapp said.

In the vending industry, smart glasses have been used to replace handhelds, Sapp said. The glasses have a touchpad on the side, a microphone, a speaker and a camera. The glasses project a display screen in the worker’s line of sight that does not block the worker’s natural surroundings.

Running on Google Glass Enterprise Edition, Wizzan Mobility’s RouteSight sends visual and audio messages to the driver wearing the glasses, instructing the driver which products to take from the truck. The system then provides the driver with a heads‐up display which allows them to view product information while they load the machines. The driver can enter inventory counts and spoils using voice commands while their hands are free to load the machines.

The glasses display visual notices about par levels, allowing the driver to make corrections as they are servicing the machine. It also notifies the driver of special requests and allows them to record audio memos.

They can also alert a warehouse picker that a certain item is low on inventory. The glasses make it especially easy for workers to pick multiple orders as they walk through the warehouse, Sapp said. The screen can display the number of items for as many as four orders at a time.

“It allows them to be both fast and accurate,” Sapp said. “We’re trying to eliminate steps and wasted movements. You don’t have to do the back and forth.” The glasses are easier to work with than mounted tablets in the warehouse, she said.

The glasses can also be used by the repair desk, Sapp said, and they can also reduce the time it takes to train new employees by supplementing hands-on training.

Smart glasses have also been deployed in manufacturing environments, including General Electric and Boeing, Sapp said, as well as logistics and distribution companies, which are deploying smart glasses in fulfillment centers.

One of the best known providers of activity trackers she noted is Fitbit, which offers watches, wrist bands, zips and scales that sync with online dashboards and apps to track activity, exercise, food, weight and sleep.

Smart clothing carries sensors that alert workers from entering dangerous or restricted areas.

Wearable exoskeletons, which according to Amazon are electromechanical systems designed to assist, augment, or enhance motion and mobility in a variety of human motion applications and scenarios, give workers strength while doing dangerous tasks.

For more information visit http://www.wizzanmobility.com/, 847-232-1297.

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