Western Correspondent
A new smartphone app to assist with social distancing has been developed by
researchers in Galway.
The 'SPACER' social distancing app triggers a vibration alarm if users are
less than two metres away from each other for more than a minute.
Developed by the Health Innovation via Engineering (HIVE) lab at NUI Galway,
the app uses bluetooth connectivity to detect other users with the software
installed on their phones. It is not designed for contact tracing and does
not gather personal or location data from users.
The technology is being evaluated and tested at University Hospital Galway
at present and will be made available for download in the coming days.
The app was designed primarily for use in the health sector, given the
challenges facing frontline workers when it comes to staying distanced from
others.
Professor of Medical Device Technology at NUI Galway, Derek O'Keeffe said
the app was an active and dynamic solution to help healthcare workers and
the general public to maintain social distance.
If the SPACER app vibrates, the user can either move further away from
someone nearby or suspend the alarm for ten minutes if it is not possible to
move straight away, for example in the event that medics were performing a
clinical procedure.
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