Spill The Tea
A new wearable device has been created to curb the spread of COVID-19.
What’s the situation?
Many countries around the world have struggled to contain the coronavirus outbreak with varying degrees of success – Australia included. The situation seems to have stabilised across most of Australia, with the exception of the Victoria state. Last Friday, the state reported its largest one-day increase in COVID-19 infections in more than a month, which hampers any plans to ease restrictions.
To help things along, PouchNATION, a Singapore-born crowd management and behavioural analytics technologies platform, and HyperKu, a Singapore-based start-up that offers funding to growing enterprise platform businesses, have embarked on an exclusive collaboration for the Australian market.
Enter PouchPass.
How does it work?
Employing the use of multiple sensors and an advanced algorithm, PouchPass helps to record an individual’s temperature on a continuous basis within an accuracy of 0.1-degree celsius. Fashioned to resemble a wristband, it will help individuals detect any spikes in temperature in real-time. This continuous temperature monitoring will undoubtedly prove to be more useful than a one-time temperature gauge, especially since fever is one of the common COVID-19 symptoms!
Learning to live with the virus
IIya Kravtsov, CEO of PouchPass, attributed this as part of ‘learn[ing] to live with the virus’, and ‘helping people manage possible symptoms before it advances’. She predicts the device will come in especially useful as people gradually start returning to work and schools around the world and, in turn, prevent future recurrent waves of the virus. In the case of Australia, she hopes that the device will also help cities like Melbourne avoid complete lockdown.
It’s easy to use and integrate PouchPass into daily routines with a simple three-step set-up. An individual should first wear their PouchBAND and sync their device to the PouchPASS Health App. After that, he or she can access all data via the PouchPass Health Dashboard, where reports can be downloaded daily, weekly, or monthly. It’s that simple!
Suitable for individuals, families, and businesses
A temperature diary saves temperature recordings on iCloud, making it readily accessible from anywhere. The individual will also get notifications once there’s a change in temperature. Plus, parents are able to monitor their childrens’ or elderly parents’ real-time temperature status, helping to promptly catch any red flags should they occur. Temperature units can also be easily changed between Celsius and Fahrenheit.
Businesses can employ PouchPass Gateways, bluetooth receivers that connect various PouchBands to an individual PouchPass Dashboard for easy monitoring across the board. Businesses can also boost workplace safety by using PouchPass to regulate attendance records and monitor those under mandated quarantine.
Tracking features are able to aid governments’ contact-tracing efforts as well – it’s a win-win situation!
Specifications
Made with PC+ medical grade non-woven fabric, the water- and dust-resistant PouchBand comes with a battery life of up to six months. With five colours to choose from – charcoal, asphalt, sky, blaze, and fern – there’s something for everyone!
The best part? Each PouchBand only weighs a meagre 10 grams, with the PouchBand Plus weighing 11 grams. The wristband is made from a lightweight and hypoallergenic material of silicone and polycarbonates. This gives it a smooth texture with a flexible shape, making it light and comfortable to wear on a daily basis.
Added functions and price point
To take it up a notch, PouchBand Plus comes equipped with contactless payments, access control, attendance records, and more! Australians can purchase their PouchPASS from the official website; individual Pouchbands are going for USD42 (~SGD57), a family package includes four PouchBands for USD168 (~SGD228), and business packages start from USD420 (~SGD570). Do note that these are all for lifetime subscriptions!
In response to privacy concerns, PouchPass has put out a statement assuring that user data will never be collected without prior user permission. Unfortunately, this device is currently only available for Australian markets. And with temperature-taking being part of our new normal, here’s hoping that the rest of the world will be able to enjoy these wristbands soon too!
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