Wearable Technology in the Workplace

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After discussing the importance of branded workwear and sustainability in the corporate sector, it is time to delve into the role played by wearable technology in the workplace. Over the last two decades, Internet and smartphones have completely changed the world affecting every aspect of our lives, from the way we communicate to the way we work and entertain ourselves.
Today we will explore the benefits of wearable technology by presenting three examples of how technological development can enhance the workwear sector.

Wearable technology in the workplace: three examples

Interactive Workwear

The University of Berlin has recently designed a ‘Smart Maintenance Jacket’. Using electronic textiles, they implemented a circuit with sensors, actuators, and microcontroller that can be connected to multiple IoT (Internet of Things) platforms and cloud services. Through a visual and haptic mode, the jacket communicates with the wearer to carry out three main functions: navigation, to guide the wearer to the site of repair; danger zone, to indicate if the wearer is passing through a green, orange, or red zone while on the way; warning of moving objects, to warn the wearer when an object is approaching from a direction that is out of sight.

NFC Technology

A Near Field Communication (NFC) chip is integrated into a high-quality NFC emblem and sewed onto all materials used in workwear. The NFC integrated technology allows the customer to access information about that specific product at any time. Using their smartphones, they can easily access information on care instructions, number of articles, sales, promotions, as well as links to website and social media channels.

RFID Technology

Wearable technology in the workplace can also be used to limit the loss and destruction of workwear and reduce expenses. In fact, it is now possible to track each individual item thanks to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. An RFID chip is implemented in each garment so that when the garment is issued to the employee, that employee is linked to the chip. In this way, the whole process become more transparent and easily manageable.