Singaporean company’s new tech to police social distancing will raise alarm when people are too close

Sensors measure the distance between individuals and trigger alerts; the system can be also used with wristbands that track wearers’ location

With governments increasingly adopting emerging tech to stem the spread of Covid-19, concerns have been raised over privacy, security and surveillance

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A Singaporean company has come up with a way to help enforce social distancing in crowded areas with sensors in the ceilings of crowded venues checking physical distances between people.

Published: 1:00pm, 16 Jun 2020Updated: 5:46pm, 17 Jun 2020

A Singaporean company has developed advanced “eyes in the sky” technology to help police social distancing measures and prevent the spread of Covid-19. Like similar emerging technology, it raises privacy concerns.

New laws in the city state enacted in March under the infectious diseases act punish people who intentionally stand in a queue less than one metre (three feet) away from another person, sit on a fixed seat that has been marked as not to be occupied, or sit less than a metre away from another person in a public place. Offenders can be fined up to S$10,000 (US$6,950), jailed for up to six months, or both.

While the authorities have hired social distancing ambassadors to ensure compliance with the laws, Smart IoT’s new invention – Smart Distancing Sensors on Premise (SDSP) – can also help. The invention consists of sensors in ceilings that scan crowds and measure the distance between individuals.

IoT, which stands for the internet of things, refers to a system of interrelated mechanical and digital computing devices that can send data over a network without the need for person-to-person or person-to-computer interaction.

Smart IoT’s founder, Scott Fan, says SDSP can be installed at venues where people are typically grouped closely together. The system will trigger an alert if, say, people in a queue at a supermarket checkout or waiting for a table outside a restaurant are less than a metre apart. A laser light beamed from the sensor can guide the offender back to a safe distance.