Comcast subsidiary MachineQ has added asset tracking tags and a space use option to the real-time location system (RTLS) the company launched last year.

The company has unveiled a suite of active asset tags, including the Nano RT, Nano LP, Dura ET, Dura PT and Dura AC. These low-energy tags bring diverse form factors, environmental ratings and capabilities to meet asset-tracking needs from low-profile tags for tracking small, hand-held assets to durable tags designed to withstand harsh environments.

The Nano RT and Nano LP tags provide enterprises with features and capabilities typically unavailable in a tiny form factor. For example, the Nano RT, one of MachineQ’s smallest tag form factors, has an up to eight-year battery life and includes a remotely triggered LED for last-metre item finding in high-density environments. The Nano LP has an up to two-year battery life and slim form factor, making it suitable for tracking hand-held assets, such as tools or pipettes, without interfering with the ergonomics of the equipment.

“These tags were purpose-built to offer customers flexible options for tracking and monitoring equipment and assets critical to their day-to-day operations,” said Gaurav Naik, head of engineering at Philadelphia-based MachineQ. “We leaned into the operational expertise of our team to evaluate how to fit in as many features and capabilities without compromising base requirements such as extended battery life. As a result, in life sciences, for example, these new tags can enable companies to track assets through solvent-based wash cycles in a wide temperature operating range from -40 to +80˚C.”

In addition to debuting the asset tag form factors, MachineQ is augmenting its current suite of indoor asset tracking and facilities wellness by adding space utilisation. This leverages privacy-centric sensors to count the number of people occupying a room, helping facility managers understand space use and traffic patterns. With real-time and historical occupancy data – visualised through the MQinsights application – organisations can make data-driven decisions regarding space allocation and layout, resource distribution and operational efficiency.

In life sciences, for example, lab management and facilities teams can identify if lab space and equipment are being over or underused and optimise the distribution of lab equipment, helping provide scientists with the tools and space they need to perform science and drive revenue. Additionally, the data derived from the space use capability provide procurement and finance teams with information to help them optimise budgets and right-size inventory from consumables to equipment, bolstering the data’s value across the broader enterprise.

“We’re thrilled to diversify our product set to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” said Steven Corbesero Junior, product director at MachineQ. “We’re helping to provide organisations with peace of mind knowing they can use our tools to support monitoring their operations in real time for immediate, corrective and predictive actions. Plus, we’re doing so with the total cost of ownership in mind and continuously looking to roll out new solutions on top of the same IoT network connectivity platform our customers already use for their asset-tracking needs.”

With these bolt-on products, enterprises can increase the value of capital investments by increasing data visibility, reducing issues relating to leak detection and temperature and humidity monitoring, improving the quality and safety of operations, and attaining a holistic view of asset health remotely and in real time.