Despite this era of cloud connectivity and remote monitoring applications, there are still men and women who get up every day to solve problems in person. From lone utility workers to real estate agents to home healthcare professionals, there are millions of people who work independently and without the immediate support of a manager or peers. These workers are essentially on their own, which can be a cause for concern if an accident were to occur. Innovative companies are using the Internet of Things to offer security solutions for these lone workers in the form of mobile personal emergency response systems, or mPERS hardware and software.
Bridgera Rescue is a personal location-tracking service available on smart devices
With Internet of Things (IoT) technology, nearly every device we interact with is able to wirelessly communicate and transmit data. The personal security industry is one of the fastest industries to embrace the Internet of Things, and has since experienced a massive shift in personal emergency monitoring solutions. Many security devices now come equipped with electronics that make it possible for emergency services to be notified at the push of a button.
The mPERS Device
Most of these personal emergency monitoring devices look like small, black pendants that fit comfortably into the palm of your hand. They can easily be slipped into a pocket, or worn around the neck, similar to the commonly-known medical alert pendant. Due to their compact size and portability, they are both unobtrusive and sturdy.
Smartphone apps can also be paired with these devices to add another layer of security. Bridgera Rescue, a location-monitoring app available as a service, is one such app.
Personal emergency monitoring is one of the most important applications of the Internet of Things. By being able to constantly and effortlessly monitor the safety of a lone worker, the dispatch hub is able to automatically get real-time updates and emergency notifications. If an accident or security concern does occur, the lone worker simply needs to press the button on the device to trigger an alert, which will transmit location data without any further action.
If an issue is more serious, such as a utility worker falling from a high elevation, many devices contain an accelerometer which can trigger an alert if the device senses a sudden, significant shift. This features is crucial in many situations; for paramedics, sometimes even 5 minutes can be the difference between life and death. Thanks to widespread integrations with GPS technology, personal emergency monitoring devices can seamlessly transmit location data to the dispatch monitoring centers, without the user needing to take any actual action. This is especially useful for workers in rural areas where there are no discernible landmarks or signs.
Universal Benefits
Personal emergency monitoring solutions have the added bonus of being a boon for both the company and workers equipped with the devices. The company is concerned with the health and safety of its workers, and the workers can rest assured that their monitoring devices will take care of any potential issues that may arise in the field.
Internet of Things platforms allow dispatch centers to notify emergency services of any alerts in real-time. This solution benefits the workers, companies, and emergency services by streamlining the alert process. This is an advantage for everyone involved. Between the clever design of the devices and the myriad of benefits it offers to workers and businesses alike, IoT-enabled monitoring devices are destined to usher in a new era of personal security.
Looking for your own IoT solution?
If you’re in the market for a personal security IoT solution, or you’re looking to build one yourself, Bridgera can help. Bridgera IoT for Personal Security is an enterprise cloud platform positioned to support the entire digital security ecosystem. We can connect any device with a data processing capability that is customized for your use case, and will provide custom-built applications, user interfaces, and APIs on a platform built for scale and reliability. For more information on our personal emergency service, please click here.
As the security industry evolves, new challenges are bound to arise. Luckily, Bridgera stays engaged after implementation to host, support, and maintain your solution. Furthermore, Bridgera will provide value added development support to evolve the IoT solution as you identify new use cases and devices for continuous improvement of your operations…all without the need for internal software developers.
With personal emergency monitoring capabilities enabled by the Internet of things, personal security boundaries are now removed, making personal security accessible to businesses who are looking to create or enhance their own security systems. At Bridgera, innovative IoT solutions are our specialty. We adapt to your specifications, and develop a custom IoT solution tailored to your needs.
About the Author: Jordan Eller is the Digital Marketing Lead at Bridgera, LLC in Raleigh, NC. His mission is to make the Internet of Things accessible and easy to understand for everyone with a curious mind.
