Amazon files patents for wristbands that track workers
Big tech is embracing Big Brother.
Amazon has secured a pair of patents for wristbands that can track workers’ hand movements while on the job.
The wristbands would emit ultrasonic sound pulses or radio transmissions to detect where a workers’ hands are in relation to inventory bins. If a worker reaches for the wrong product, the wristband would vibrate as part of a “haptic feedback system” that could then steer the employee to the right bin.
Amazon insists the wristbands would help workers be more efficient, and make it easier to locate products in the company’s warehouses.
“As inventory systems grow, the challenges of simultaneously completing a large number of packing, storing, and other inventory-related tasks become non-trivial,” the patent states.
“Improved approaches for keeping track of where an inventory item is stored are of interest.”
But Amazon employees might not be thrilled about the company tracking their every movement.
“The speculation about this patent is misguided,” Amazon told AFP in a statement.
“Every day at companies around the world, employees use handheld scanners to check inventory and fulfill orders. This idea, if implemented in the future, would improve the process for our fulfillment associates. By moving equipment to associates’ wrists, we could free up their hands from scanners and their eyes from computer screens.”