Amazon has been granted patents
for wristbands that would allow for ultrasonic tracking of a worker’s hands to
monitor performance using haptic feedback, which sounds like something straight
out of Black Mirror. The new patents are ostensibly for wristbands that Amazon
employees would wear, which work in conjunction with ultrasonic devices
strategically placed around Amazon’s warehouses. If the worker’s hands move to
the wrong item, the bracelet will buzz, pretty much like an invisible fence
used for dog training.
Not only do the tracking devices
monitor inventory, but they also make sure workers are performing at optimum
speed. The original patents were filed back in 2016 and granted to Amazon on
January 30 of this year. This isn’t a good look for Amazon, which has already
been accused of intolerable working conditions at its warehouses, including
enforcing timed bathroom breaks and using packing timers to make sure workers
were operating at top speed. However, it is worth-mentioning that many patents
never actually become reality.
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