SafetyTech News | 014

SafetyTech News is officially a newsletter!

Woohoo! Fist bumps & high fives all around... After 9 months, finally LinkedIn has given me access to publish SafetyTech News as an actual newsletter rather than profile articles (you can check out the STN back catalogue on my profile )

With that being said...welcome to issue 014 of SafetyTech news - a curation of the latest from the intersection where safety & technology meet at the cutting edge. If this is your first time joining - welcome, I'm Cameron Stevens - a technologist and chartered health & safety professional dedicated to improving the design, experience and safety of work with technology & responsible innovation. I'll be your digital concierge, curating content to help you explore the use of technology to elevate the role of humans at work. You can provide feedback to [email protected] or connect with me directly on LinkedIn for regular updates and insights on #safetytech #enterpriseXR and #digitaltransformation.

Lets dive in.

Soter Analytics US$12M Cap Raise

Congrats to Matthew Hart and the team at Soter Analytics for a successful raise - I'll be following with interest to see what solutions come to life with the cash-money. Soter have been rapidly iterating their sensor technology over the past few years and have more recently shipped a computer vision and digital twin solution. Personally, I'm eager to see Soter invest in XR technologies to augment (pun intended) their tech stack. More below... watch this space.

Skills for the Future of Work | Deloitte

Newsflash - SafetyTech is not just about the tech - in fact far from it... its about elevating human. This Deloitte article highlights the shift to digital in manufacturing and provides good insight into the way forward; health and safety professionals should pay attention to this shift and identify ways to partner with HR and Tech teams to drive a sustainable strategy.

Focusing overtly on digital skills, though, is not going to solve the broader workforce gaps in the manufacturing industry, nor the industry’s ability to respond to disruption such as the levels experienced in 2020.

Innate human capabilities, such as conceptual thinking, decision-making, social flexibility and drive, will determine whether tomorrow’s manufacturing workforce can engage with a digital environment and drive outcomes.

What is the digital literacy of your workforce? how prepared are you to leverage technology to improve the safety of work... more here:

Product showcase | Tecknotrove Excavator VR Simulator

It's great to see the progress in immersive training combining VR with physical simulation. Check out this latest offering from Tecknotrove.

Note: At SafetyTech News we like to showcase solutions; if there is any affiliation, kickbacks or paid promotion we will be fully transparent and provide a disclaimer up front.

Opinion | 7 mistakes companies make with safety technology

Warning: this opinion piece may divide but is hopefully constructive.

This article from EHS Today is written by the global product marketing manager at a connected safetytech devices company. The reason I raise this is the fact that it is a marketing piece disguised as helpful insights... having said that... if you sweep aside the marketing spin - the insights are not too bad. Here's the non-marketing version of the 7 things to consider...

1) "Failing to understand exactly who needs protecting in the first place". The first "mistake" that is talked about relates to not doing a thorough risk assessment to identify exactly who needs protecting in the first place: I'd suggest this can be better articulated by suggesting organisations start with the problems that need to be solved (rather than trying to jam a tech solution in for the sake of it). So number 1 reframed: "be clear on the problem you are trying to solve"

2) "Neglecting to consider barriers to adoption" - in other words - change management is critical; at a system level and at a human level (not in that order).

3) "Not asking the right technical questions" - this is basically saying you need to be clear on your requirements and then your technology selection can be more targeted and ultimately "should" meet your needs.

4) "Choosing specialised vs. mutifunctional products" - this one is pretty much geared as a marketing statement - its effectively the same as item 3) be clear on your requirements and ultimately your tech stack will follow.

5) "Not placing enough importance on data collection & reporting" - this is a dangerous one. Just because we can measure it doesn't mean we need to, or should, and doesn't mean it will provide value. I'd reframe this by saying that we need to be very clear on the data points we require to enable insights for better risk decision making. Secondly - data collection should be frictionless and data analytics should be responsible, ethical and aligned with item 2 (people change).

6) "Failing to treat advanced communication as a necessity" - hrmm marketing spin again. Perhaps this is better framed as designing fast feedback loops for the humans using the tech.

7) "Relying solely on cellular coverage for connectivity" - some good insights on connectivity here. Basically - connectivity is mandatory for connected safety programs so sort your connectivity: WIFI, GSM, LTS, Satellite, BT...

To be honest it does get a bit frustrating to continually see "safetytech" articles written by content marketers rather than safety professionals or technologists... time to raise the bar. If you are reading this... please comment your opinion.

Liminal is on the Meta store!

Congrats Nick and the team at Liminal for launching on the Meta Quest store!

If you aren't familiar with Liminal VR - they are a Melbourne-based VR experience developer.

With an ever-expanding catalogue of calming, energising, awe-inspiring or pain-relieving experiences developed using research from Liminal’s neuroscientists and psychologists, it leverages the unique benefits of virtual reality to deliver immediate positive changes to emotional and cognitive states.

I personally use Liminal experiences to shift my mood and focus and believe there is a strong place for their solutions for enterprise wellness use cases. If you have a Quest 2 - check them out on the store now!

Latest features from Facilitate

Staying with the VR theme - Perth-based VR Pioneers, Facilitate, have recently shipped new product features on their platform providing excellent self-authoring capability for safety training and micro-simulation. Check out www.facilitate.tech

Micro-simulation editor

The Micro-simulation editor allows you to create custom step-by-step sequenced actions. Guide the learner through specific steps with instructions, allowing them to complete a task or reach a learning objective.?Practice for safe outcomes ahoy.

Interactive 360 Editor | Timed hotspots & labels

You can now add labels to hotspots to provide additional information to your learners. Easily add information to waypoints to inform learners where they're heading, or label important information.?With the new interface, you can now easily edit the timing of your hotspots, allowing you to choose when they appear and disappear within a scene. You can also easily select your hotspots from the hotspot overview section, providing you with an easy way to edit your hotspots.?These labelled hotspots provide the spatial context to better understand the geographical relationships between risks - the timed feature improves the UX to be more seamless.

Safeguarding the Metaverse

No SafetyTech News issue is complete without a customary nod to 'the M word'. So here it is... The Institution of Engineering & Technology's Safeguarding the Metaverse : "a guide to existing and future harms in VR & the metaverse"

"The metaverse is a major milestone on the digital media timeline, representing vast opportunities for users to benefit from the immersive virtual environment. As well as positive outcomes, the metaverse also brings with it various threats and vulnerabilities for its users that need to be addressed at industry, regulatory and government levels"

Key harms explored include Children in VR with excellent guidance for responsible family VR use, physical injuries/property damage, harms from interaction with physical setup and disassociation. The report explores future harms that require further research including digital poverty and digital inclusion (intensifying social inequalities...). It is a necessary read for any H&S professional exploring XR technologies - which should be everyone!

Case Study | Endeavour Energy Remote Inspection

Endeavour Energy (an electricity distribution network provider in New South Wales) recently conducted its first on-site inspection of physical electricity infrastructure using a combination of 5G, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, drone technology, and ultra-high definition (UHD) cameras in partnership with AWS, Unleash Live (AI computer vision startup) and Optus (Aussie telco). This demonstrates the collision of several deep technologies working together to solve complex and high value problems, safely. We will continue to see more of this and safety professionals have an opportunity NOW to get involved or get left behind.

SafetyTech Accelerator | Exploring robotic solutions to remove need for humans to conduct inspections in confined spaces

SafetyTech Accelerator has recently published an overview of a recent challenge exploring robotics to conduct inspections in confined spaces.

"Each of the five startups deployed their technologies across one or two carefully selected sites to identify corrosion and mechanical damage. A variety of pressure vessels were made available for trials including steam boilers, hot salt pressure vessel, gas co-generators, nitrogen pressure vessel and glass lined storage pressure vessel"

Robots were placed inside the pressure vessels requiring them to manoeuvre around small manholes and metal structures, often with limited lighting. The trials tested the robots’ dexterity and ability to return images from all areas of the vessels for comparison with human inspections.

Check out the article for results and more insights...

The rise of Safety Technology, with Cameron Stevens | Safety And Risk Success Podcast

Christian invited me on to the Safety & Risk Success Podcast to talk SafetyTech. If you are going to have a listen please do me a favour and listen at 1.5x speed - you can listen on your normal channels or via this YT link. Feedback is a gift - I'd love to know your thoughts.

Let's finish off with something a little different; a glimpse into how we may begin to shift our relationship with technology | I am beyond excited about this direction.

Little Signals | Changing our relationship with tech to elevate human

"Little Signals explores new patterns for technology in our daily lives. The six objects in this design study make use of different sensorial cues to subtly signal for attention. They keep us in the loop, but softly, moving from the background to the foreground as needed.? Each object has its own method of communicating, like through puffs of air or ambient sounds. Additionally, their small movements or simple controls bring the objects to life and make them responsive to changing surroundings and needs. Just as everyday objects might find simple ways to inform us - like the moving hands of a clock or the whistle of a kettle - Little Signals consider how to stay up-to-date with digital information while maintaining moments of calm" Philip Battin (Design creative - Google)

On that delightful note - I'm off for a walk in nature. See you in a couple of weeks.

Be Safe & Stay Curious.

Cameron Stevens is a technologist & chartered safety professional, most comfortable exploring digital transformation and the intersection where safety & technology meet. Cameron is an industrial XR specialist at Lenovo deploying augmented & virtual reality for enterprise & volunteers on ISO Standards Committees for Artificial Intelligence, AR & Virtual Reality.

Cameron enjoys coaching individuals & teams to improve the design & experience of work with responsible innovation & emerging technologies.

If you would like to be featured in STN contact [email protected]

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