Guardhat

Deliver Globally Certified Connectivity

Safety first is the key goal in industrial operations and management. To help ensure the safety of industrial workers, the innovative creators of Guardhat re-envisioned the hardhat as a wearable device at the edge of an end-to-end industrial safety system.

To make the hardhat a communicating device, the Guardhat team turned to Lantronix and its Intelligent Edge Solutions team to tackle a big design challenge: add all the features and functions they wanted without making the hardhat too heavy or cumbersome for the workers to wear. The design incorporated sensors, a camera and microphone, tying them together with on-device processing power. The design specified wireless connectivity for remote communication plus the ability to ensure secure boot as well as wireless communications and updates.

The Solution:

Affordable, Secure, Remote Communication Solution
in a Smart Hardhat

The Guardhat designers chose the Lantronix Open-Q 626 µSOM, which is based on the APQ8053-Pro SoC (system on chip), to deliver the ideal balance of advanced processing capabilities and power efficiency. Guardhat engaged Lantronix to design the hardhat and achieve the required performance profile.

Far from a conventional wearable, the Guardhat Communicator takes advantage of roughly 300 pins that the carrier board routes out as interfaces to the SoC, creating a wearable IoT device that includes board support, camera, audio and wireless connectivity.

The Guardhat team also utilized Lantronix’s Open-Q™ 626 µSOM Development Kit, a cost-effective, feature-rich, camera-tuned, exposed board platform powered by the Open-Q 626 production-ready µSOM, based on the APQ8053Pro processor. It was used by the Guardhat team to jumpstart the design process and contain development costs.

The Benefit:

Results: Guardhat Communicator Smart Hardhat Connects Remote Workers

The Guardhat Communicator smart hardhat monitors the workers’ environments, sending warnings and alerts in case of imminent danger, and applies wearable technology to overcome hazardous conditions. It enables remote communication, including audio and video calls and the ability for the user to push a single button for help. It also provides a realtime decision-making and data analytics platform that connects industrial workforces through situational awareness.

Benefits Include:
• Quickly build a market-ready prototype
• Reduce total cost of development
• Get to production and market faster
• Deliver a comprehensive, globally certified solution to market