Smart Badges Are Increasingly Popular - Are They Vital for Tracking & Navigating COVID-19?

With the current COVID-19 environment, a lot of talk has focused on virtual connection. Videoconferencing has been invaluable for bringing people together during a time when it’s impossible to do so physically. But in-person gatherings will always be important and inevitable, particularly for businesses resuming operations and working to build relationships, and - eventually - we’ll return to a social flow outside of our homes. But with COVID-19, it invites questions. Even for the interaction at essential businesses now, there are concerns around how we track in-person activity - more commonly known as, contact tracing. With these issues in mind, it’s worthwhile to think about how we’ll manage in-person traffic now and once social restrictions lift, as we begin navigating, with caution, our new reality. 

One answer? Smart badges. At Proxfinity, our predictive analytics platform has worked in tandem with our own smart badge - the CUE - allowing people to identify matches as they became in proximity to one another at events. Such smart badges have been on the rise in recent years, revolutionizing a variety of industries, such as healthcare and government. And it shows no signs of slowing down. The smart badge market is currently estimated to be worth $21.1 billion, but according to a new report - will increase at a CAGR of 9.9% to reach $33.8 billion by 2025. 

Given the climate with COVID-19, those numbers may jump even higher. Most importantly, companies are looking for tools that will help them keep their staff safe - specifically how they can facilitate contact tracing and gain insight into interactions that may influence disease transmission. Think tanks and research groups have already begun to theorize what the long road back to “traditional” operations could look like, intermittent times of social distancing anytime the number of cases trends upward, staggering the allowed capacity in public places to minimize crowds and more. And aside from what we must do to track disease spread and prevent overloading our healthcare systems, it’s also fair to argue that social distancing will be, if not enforced, something people will want and practice long after COVID-19 begins to subside. People may be more wary of their in-person interactions, hesitant to gather close in crowded areas and make physical contact when it’s not necessary. It will challenge so much of what we’ve traditionally done in social circumstances, a handshake, exchanging business cards, a tap on the shoulder to get someone’s attention.  

This is where smart badges can offer a helpful alternative. In terms of contact tracing, our CUE for example will log which employees come within a specific distance of one another, how often and for how long just by wearing the badges. This will help employers better implement proactive measures - so if employee X shows symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, management can easily identify who has come in contact with that employee for immediate testing and other preventative measures. It has days of battery life, doesn’t depend on WiFi or GPS - users simply put it on and go.

In addition, for anyone anxious to make physical contact, these devices allow us to make the same introductions at a safe distance. In the case of our CUE, the badge registers when you come close to another participant when your interests align, and signals it via LED screen while standing feet apart. Then, people can have meaningful conversation on the topics they want in professional settings, without worrying about coming in close contact with one another. Similar to how we’ve made other interpersonal experiences digital, we can digitize and automate networking, and help people track their interactions. With smart badges, we can go from social distancing to socializing from a distance - while gaining an understanding of disease transmission and implementing safeguards without sacrificing valuable, authentic interaction with one another. 

Just as other wearables, like smart watches and fitness trackers, have become more popular by delivering information we need, from and right onto our person, smart badges will be a next logical step to bridging the gaps we’re forced to create through social distance. 

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