Sigfox owner UnaBiz is improving safety in public toilets by using machine learning in a hybrid floor wetness sensor.

This is designed to help prevent falls in washrooms due to wet floors by triggering timely cleaning interventions.

The hybrid sensor transmits data through either the Sigfox 0G network or LoRaWan, making it adoptable by existing users and beyond; they just need to choose a preferred communication network during deployment.

Manual monitoring can be difficult as water is transparent and hard to spot, especially on large floor areas. But thermal sensors can detect temperature differences to monitor wet floors round the clock. The sensor reports four critical events to prompt cleaning and maintenance actions: floor is normal; floor is wet; floor is cleaned; and someone fell down.

It uses edge computing and AI to analyse washroom floors in real time, enabling facilities managers to take immediate action. Developed in-house by UnaBiz in Singapore, the product leverages collected washroom data to train a predictive model. The sensor uses thermal imaging to gather floor temperature data, analyses it locally, and only sends the final information to the cloud. This ensures anonymous monitoring with no privacy issues. Additionally, this accident prevention feature can reduce insurance liability.

Real-time monitoring and alerts significantly enhance safety and efficiency in facilities management. The potential for expansion into other use cases through additional machine-learning applications makes this sensor a versatile tool for other use cases in various sectors.

“Our hybrid floor wetness sensor is a game-changer in facilities management,” said Calvin Foo, director of ecosystem at UnaBiz Singapore. “By combining thermal imaging, AI and edge computing, we are addressesing the immediate needs of our customers – facility management companies that manage shopping malls, offices or public spaces. This significantly reduces the risk of slippage and severe accidents, particularly for the elderly in Singapore, due to the ageing demographic.”

Remi Lorrain, VP of convergence at UnaBiz (www.unabiz.com), added: “Following the successful implementations of Sigfox and LoRa at both the device firmware (dual stack) and middleware (UnaConnect device management) levels, UnaBiz continues to break down barriers to LPWAN convergence by offering comprehensive hybrid options that leverage the strengths of both the Sigfox and LoRa ecosystems.”

The sensor was launched at last month’s CleanEnviro Summit in Singapore (www.cleanenvirosummit.gov.sg).