Startup Safeware announced on May 22 that it will release a protective airbag system equipped with a wearable, Internet of Things-enabled safety platform in the second half of 2017. The system is currently under development. After the new product undergoes IoT application tests and trial runs, the company expects to release it sometime at the end of the year. A test version of the product will be featured at the World IT Show, hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, starting on May 24 at the COEX in Seoul.

Safeware’s airbag system and safety platform have been designed to protect the wearer’s body and send real-time emergency information in the event of an industrial accident (fall or crash) or a bicycle or motorcycle accident. With its combination of hardware and software technologies, the product is able to initiate emergency measures in response to safety accidents. CEO Kim Young-hwan said, “Of the top three most frequent industrial accidents in Korea—trips, falls, and crushing incidents—falls have the highest death rate. Our product will be particularly effective in preventing injuries due to falls of up to 10 meters, which is the most common height from which people tend to fall.” 

Once a fall occurs, the wearable airbag system’s fall detection sensor activates, triggering the inflation of the airbag to protect the body from injury. An IoT communications network simultaneously sends information in real time on the location and condition of the individual who suffered the accident to not only the safety officer in charge but also 119 emergency services and the local fire station and hospital, the phone numbers for which are registered in advance. In this way, the product effectively combines hardware technology (sensor, inflation device, and airbag) and software technology (IoT-based e-call service). CEO Kim said, “Our product has been designed so that the airbag inflation device is activated within 0.2 seconds after the wearer begins to fall.”

Safeware’s product was recognized for its technology and stability in an industrial safety contest hosted by the Ministry of Public Safety and Security and Ulsan City in April, and the company will be participating in the Korean Expo 2017, to be hosted by KOTRA in Warsaw in June, where it will introduce its fall protection suit for industrial sites and protective suit for motorcycle riders to European buyers. Safeware receives support from the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation for its overseas marketing activities, including its participation in the Korean Expo 2017.

(jshwang@heraldcorp.com)