New Software to Protect Essential Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic

A mobile software application that could be critical to helping essential supply chain workers maintain physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, is currently under development by researchers at Conestoga’s SMART (Smart Manufacturing and Advanced Recycling Technologies) Centre in collaboration with Conestoga Cold Storage (CCS), a Kitchenier-based distribution and warehousing company that oversees five automated cold storage warehouses in Canada.

By utilizing the concept of geofencing, hundreds of truck drivers traveling to and from CCS facilities that haul frozen food and other goods across the country, will be able to avoid face-to-face contact when arriving at facilities. Principal Investigator Russell Foubert says, “By using GPS or cellular data, the system can track drivers to understand when their trucks are within the appropriate range, then issue door assignments to drivers through a mobile check-in process, eliminating the need for them to enter the building.”

Conestoga SMART Centre and CCS will receive funding for this prototype from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), through its contribution to the Niagara College-led Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI), a group of post-secondary institutions that supports research and development needs of Ontario manufacturers.

Before the pandemic hit North America, this project was started in January 2020 by student researchers Taylor Beck and Travis Roy from Conestoga’s software Engineering Technology program. There is now urgency to roll out this prototype and pursue commercialization. The testing phase is underway, and the research team is on track to deliver the prototype to CCS in a few weeks, with some drivers utilizing the mobile software application by the end of the month.

Researchers may even be given the opportunity to further enhance the system since health officials are predicting the pandemic could last between 18 months and two years. “This application currently focuses on drivers arriving at CCS facilities, but we’re exploring how this technology could be used to automate more of the process,” explained Foubert. “For instance, can the system issue QR codes to drivers so they can finish them at an automated gate to exit the premises? It’s another way to reduce physical contact.”

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