Ericsson has combined with industrial design consultancy Sigma Connectivity and industrial IoT firm Mobilaris to produce a cellular IoT tracking device for the mining industry, and other industrial environments. The trio, all based in Sweden, said the wearable NB-IoT / LTE-M device uses “sensors, monitoring, and real-time positioning” to issue proximity triggers and collision alerts when workers come into danger.
The unit, designed by Sigma Connectivity and developed by Mobilaris, responds to vehicles and moving assets, as well as gas emissions, humidity levels, barometric pressure, and temperature, they said. It is also ‘5G-ready’, said Ericsson, which has enabled it for global usage via its IoT Accelerator platform. It is based on Ardesco, Ericsson’s cellular IoT device reference design, developed with Sigma Connectivity and available via the IoT Accelerator.
Ericsson said the Ardesco design helped Mobilaris accelerate development and commercialization of the device. It has been certified for use in Europe, North America, and Australia. It has been deployed at industrial sites in Sweden, as part of a 5G partnership programme with mobile operator Telia to verify 5G and IoT solutions across its public and private networks.
Andreas Ericsson, chief executive at Mobilaris Industrial Solutions, said: “We are developing a disruptive workforce safety offer that enables the zero-accident vision.”
Henric Wainebro, business unit head for IoT at Sigma Connectivity, said: “Sigma Connectivity has the unique ability to embrace a customer’s vision and efficiently execute on it end-to-end. Combining this with Mobilaris’ focused determination paved the way for a truly successful collaboration and exciting journey ahead.”
Kyle Okamoto, general manager of IoT at Ericsson, said: “This work demonstrates the power of collaboration to bring cellular IoT devices to the market that positively impact industries and people’s safety.”
