Preventing COVID-19 contagion in industrial environments through anonymous contact tracing

The health emergency connected to the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic worldwide has caused a substantial suspension of the vast majority of face-to-face work activities that characterize manufacturing companies. The gradual reduction of new infections achieved thanks to the lockdown has brought attention to the topic of how “restarting” the activities into work environments, which must be carried out guaranteeing health security and avoiding the kick-off of a new phase of expansion of the disease due to contacts in the workplace. On the other hand, this moment of “forced renewal” could be the best opportunity to accelerate and implement the innovative technologies fostered for “Industry 4.0” because of the significant socioeconomic changes that it promises to bring. This paper presents a contact tracing framework based on an inexpensive and non-intrusive wearable sensor able to provide positioning data along with cardinal directions and orientation. A mixed Ultra-Wide Band/Bluetooth, UWB/BLE, approach permits to know the operators' accurate position and orientation. Their interactions during working activities can be regulated by a tool that suggests the implementation of social distancing measures for contagion reduction.