Ellie Gabel, Associate Editor at Revolutionized shares the ways in which IoT technology is helping industries like healthcare and mining
The Internet of Things (IoT) has been instrumental in changing numerous industries by increasing visibility. Whether a manufacturing leader wants to learn about critical machine problems before downtime occurs or an agricultural professional needs to check for pest infestation indicators, the IoT can assist with those needs and many others.
Monitoring patients and their rooms
People receiving hospital care require close monitoring for numerous reasons. Some of these individuals may have highly contagious diseases, making it dangerous for anyone to visit them without the appropriate protective equipment. Conversely, severely immunocompromised patients could experience life-altering complications if they receive visitors without providers’ knowledge and ultimately become ill from the encounter.
Since many healthcare workers are perpetually busy, it is unrealistic for them to monitor each patient at every possible moment. Fortunately, IoT technology is well-positioned to help.
Researchers developed one solution that controls various environmental aspects of a patient’s room. However, it also prevents backward blood flow due to the depletion of someone’s saline supply. Nurses receive audible alerts when patients need saline replenishment, allowing them to prioritise their tasks.
Some IoT products in health care can also detect whether visitors or providers wash their hands before or after interacting with patients. That seemingly simple but critical hygiene step can prevent patients and professionals from contracting illnesses or finding that their existing ones worsen.
Maintaining quality control for in-demand items
Pharmaceutical plants, semiconductor factories and other facilities that make delicate or tightly regulated products have clean rooms. These areas have carefully controlled conditions to minimise contaminants that could interfere with product performance, put people’s lives at risk or necessitate recalls.
The IoT has become a crucial component for buildings with clean rooms. Strategically placed sensors can track everything from aerosol particles to microbes. The associated data allows executives to act quickly regarding abnormal conditions, preventing major production disruptions. Decision-makers can also customize their clean rooms to safeguard against particular risks.
For example, some doors offer fire resistance for up to 120 minutes, giving responders time to contain and address emergencies before they ruin products. Executives might also install IoT sensors and cameras to verify that employees have donned the necessary protective gear before entering the room, keeping careless mistakes from having massive and costly consequences.
Reducing mining accidents
Rockfalls, flooding and explosions are a few of the risks miners face during their daily work. Though these workers receive safety training to increase their threat awareness, accidents still happen too frequently. The IoT will not prevent all of them, but the technology could make a significant difference in elevating overall safety and helping site managers spot dangerous patterns.
In one case, employees working at a major Peruvian copper mine started using smart badges that provide real-time and historical tracking of people’s locations within blasting zones. Such technologies are critical for combating a 29% mining accident increase. While landslides, collapses and blasts are often unavoidable, this IoT product increases locational awareness.
For example, managers can get alerts if miners enter restricted areas or danger zones. They also receive notifications if workers press panic buttons or issue distress calls. Moreover, the system can provide details about whether specific areas have appropriate worker-to-supervisor ratios. Although the mine’s executives initially tested this option by issuing 400 smart badges, they ordered 450 more within six months, indicating they felt the technology was worth continuing to use on a larger scale.
Investing in prevention through knowledge
Employees at all levels must frequently multitask, making it less likely they will detect problems before it is too late. In addition to that challenge, even the most observant people can become distracted or tired. The difficulties become more prominent in large facilities because supervisors cannot watch all the activities simultaneously.
Fortunately, IoT sensors can detect the details that humans often overlook. They are easily accessible and flexible enough to meet various industrial needs. Interested parties will get the best results when deploying these solutions if they develop clear use cases and goals before researching what vendors offer.
Author: Ellie Gabel, Associate Editor at Revolutionized
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