A social distancing app that alerts someone when a colleague is too close is used by Network Rail. Mind The Gap was designed by London-based start-up Hack Partners for the company to keep employees safe at work.
The technology uses audio and Bluetooth signals to detect if users are close to each other.
Network Rail staff now uses the app extensively and is being distributed to other companies.
"I am immensely proud of our entire workforce for the role they have played in keeping the country running during the pandemic," said Martin Frobisher, Network Rail's Technical, Technical and Safety Director.
"When we begin planning the return to the office, we have looked at absolutely everything to make sure we can continue to keep our employees safe."
How does it work
Employees can choose to download the app and set the desired distance,
in line with government guidelines.
They will then be notified when another app user is too close.
Mind The Gap uses inaudible ultra-high-frequency sounds and Bluetooth to calculate the distance between phones, so it doesn't require an active internet connection to work.
Although many contact tracking apps have found it difficult to accurately detect distances with Bluetooth, Hack Partners says that combining the technology with audio metering offers accuracy of between 6-8cm.
The app will continue to run in the background which means it may drain your phone's battery.
Tests so far have shown that high-frequency sounds do not affect children, dogs, cats or hearing aids, said River Tamoor Baig, chief executive of Hack Partners.
"Embarrassing conversation"
"It's very easy to go back to old ways with colleagues and forget the distances, so this is a reminder," he said. "Additionally, the sound notification can help users avoid awkward conversations with colleagues who may not socially distance themselves - many of us would find it hard to tell our boss to leave!"
Created with user privacy in mind, Mind The Gap does not track people and no sensitive data is collected, stored or shared. This means that employers will not be able to track employee movements, past or present.
On Network Rail, the app download is optional for employees.
Hack Partners hopes workplaces will use the app to encourage those who want to go back to the office to feel safer.
The company is also in talks with contact-tracking app developers who are struggling to get accurate distance results over Bluetooth.
"The use of technology to maintain social distances has the potential to help restart the economy by allowing more people to work in offices and give a much needed boost to infrastructure projects through construction work on site," said Will Cavendish , Arup's digital lead engineering consultancy.
"People naturally congregate in certain areas; navigating those could make an invaluable contribution to the safe opening of public spaces."
