“The humanization of technology makes people feel reassured”. In these words, spoken by the CEO of Pininfarina Silvio Angori, there is all the meaning of the partnership between the Turin design company and the startup Blimp, specializing in Artificial Intelligence. The two realities have put together a solution, called Beat-19, capable of monitoring the flows of people, both indoors and outdoors, and therefore guaranteeing the application of measures to contain the spread of the virus. A decisive help in this Phase 3, in which life has now returned to normal and the only way to avoid a new wave of contagion is to wear masks and avoid gatherings.
But how is it possible to understand if you are less than a meter away from another person, and especially if there are too many in a small space? Thanks to a sensor system connected to a cloud platform to be able to view data and manage critical situation detection notifications. Such as for example the gathering of people, in fact, or even the absence of the mask. Beat-19 technology, "dressed" by Pininfarina, is therefore able to monitor the queue of people outside a structure or at bus, train or subway stops, or inside the same public transport but also in stations, airports, production plants, offices and commercial establishments.
By detecting the flows of people in real time, the system devised by Blimp, which is part of e-Novia, the 'Factory of Companies' based in Milan, can promote their dispersion through acoustic signals, but also identify those at risk through body temperature or failure to use a mask. Depending on the needs, in fact, the sensor can be integrated with a thermal imaging camera for detecting body temperature and a speaker for playing audio messages and/or acoustic signals to facilitate the dispersion of people without the intervention of natural persons. Fundamental aspect is privacy: the images captured by the sensor (which is not a camera) are processed directly within it, and immediately eliminated. Only a number arrives at the central cloud, anonymous and aggregated data.
Beat-19 can be requested and installed by anyone: companies, cultural institutions, large-scale distribution, catering and even public bodies, such as municipalities or regions, who want to monitor their offices or open spaces in cities or on the territory (squares, parks, etc.). As mentioned, it is a 100% privacy compliant solution (complies with EU Regulation No. 679/2016, GDPR) and only requires access to the power supply via a standard socket (220V). Data connectivity is enabled via a mobile network (3G may be sufficient), a wi-fi network or a wired network. The single device costs around 1.000 euros and can cover an area of 100 square meters in an open field.
What does design have to do with all this? As Angori explained, it makes technology more human and therefore more reassuring, in times when we all feel under observation. Thanks to the expertise of Pininfarina, which has over 600 industrial design and architecture projects worldwide, research is applied to all areas in which human interaction risks becoming a vehicle of contagion: from real estate to education, from living to office spaces, from the world of retail to hospitality, up to mobility and public spaces. An invasive and therefore delicate work, which has in fact required the help of sociologists, psychologists, and philosophers who allow the integration of perceptive and behavioral aspects.
“Design – explains the Ad Angori -, which has the ability to continuously innovate, improving people's lives in normal times, can provide the answer in imagining a new future. Now, for the first time, design also has the function of awakening feelings of protection. Together with Blimp we are able to offer a solution perfectly responding to the needs of the "New Normal": designing new spaces and equipping them with digital measurement systems to make people feel safer”.
“The partnership with Pininfarina – added the founder of Blimp, Alex Buzzetti – represents a extraordinary combination of design and technology Made in Italy. This is an important step towards the creation of sustainable and intelligent urban environments, permeated by micro-services enabled by Artificial Intelligence technologies and dedicated to improving well-being and quality of life".
