The tags are currently wearable on an individual’s wrist or belt, but there are opportunities to deploy them more widely, such as on shopping carts in grocery stores or with self-guided tour technology at museums or in film shooting spots

A new product EGOpro Social Distancing wearable tag from Italy based A.M.E (Advanced Microwave Engineering) is emerging as solution for social distancing in many parts of the world. A product which was primarily meant for logistics, industrial security and safety is used now used by museums and other institutions. Most likely, this will be embraced by production executives while film shooting.

The company offers highperformance, flexible solutions using active automatic identification (RFID) wireless technologies and sensors for industrial applications. A.M.E. designs, develops and implements integrated, turnkey solutions for industrial security and safety.

One of Florence’s most frequented sites, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) is the first museum complex in the world to execute the usage of social distancing necklaces for its visitors. The EGOpro Active Tag uses radio technology to sense the measure between two tags. The device will flash, vibrate and softly beep when one visitor accidentally walks within two metres or six feet of another, signalling they are too close.

The devices will be handed out free of charge upon entering the museum and will have to be handed back at the end of the visit after which they will be disinfected before being used again. The usage is anonymous and does not track any kind of data.

Magazzino Italian Art is the first museum in the United States to adopt the EGOPro Tag. The primary objective is to promote social distancing among visitors. Visitors are explained that the device is not invasive and just a reminder. They hope to make the best use of it during weekends.

So, what exactly is an EGOpro? Think of it like those buzzers you get at some restaurants to notify you when your order is ready. The buzzing is the same, although this time the sound occurs when visitors get a little too close to one another. As for the devices themselves, they hang on eco-friendly, individually wrapped lanyards available to individuals and/or groups upon entering. If someone gets too close to another visitor, the device will begin to flash red and buzz with increasing urgency to remind parties to widen the gap.

“The usage of this technology in the current pandemic is groundbreaking,” said Rob Hruskoci, owner and CEO of Advanced Industrial Marketing. “Employees can see how much room they have to work with one another, and employers can use this data to reconfigure workspaces to maintain the minimum safe distance while operating.”

The tags are currently wearable on an individual’s wrist or belt, but there are opportunities to deploy them more widely, such as on shopping carts in grocery stores or with selfguided tour technology at museums or in film shooting spots.

Each EGOpro Active Tag is equipped with a unique serial number and has the potential to be connected to a custom software solution. This can be used for counting the number of people in a given area, keeping track on how long they are in certain areas, and even sending alerts to managers if there is overcrowding. Additionally, in a situation where a facility may have been exposed to Covid-19, the software could be used for contact tracing using the device’s individual serial numbers.

The pandemic has baffled medical professionals everywhere, but social distancing protocols that necessitate people in public keeping at least six feet away from other strangers have already been accepted as a basic public health defense against the novel coronavirus. Until a vaccine is developed, it’s likely that devices like the EGOpro tags will become increasingly ubiquitous not just in museums, but in all arenas of public life.