Air Canada to trial Covid-19 contact tracing technology in workplace   

Flag carrier Air Canada has revealed plans to pilot Covid-19 contact tracing technology in the workplace.

Bluetooth enabled TraceSCAN app and wearable technology have been developed by Canadian-based Facedrive in partnership with experts at the University of Waterloo.

Air Canada safety vice-president Samuel Elfassy said: ”The health and safety of our employees is of paramount concern to Air Canada and is key to restoring our operations safely for our customers.

“Air Canada has embraced a science-based approach to managing Covid-19 and as part of this has committed to evaluate the use of new technologies like TraceSCAN’s wearables.

“We are enthusiastic about exploring the use of TraceSCAN because this Canadian technology has the potential to provide another layer of safety for our employees, so they can focus on taking care of our customers.”

TraceSCAN Wearables integrates AI-enabled mobile application and wearables devices built on the nRF52 Bluetooth chipset.

Facedrive’s technology is designed to provide an additional layer of protection to slow the spread of Covid-19 at the workplace.

The solutions are in the form of wristbands, wearable tags to be worn across the neck or pods to be carried in the pocket.

Facedrive chairman and chief executive officer Sayan Navaratnam said: ”We hope this pilot will be a model for other airlines to follow and look forward to continuing to work with industry to protect Canadians as our country returns to its normal working and travel schedules.”