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Maggy (Flanders) helps US practice social distancing

Maggy, a brand-new start-up from Flanders, is joining forces with Nasdaq-listed Silicon Labs (US) to produce Maggy’s compact device used to simplify social distancing at work. Silicon Labs will supply the Bluetooth module on which the small wearable operates.  

Maggy

Maggy is not the only start-up in Flanders to develop social distancing wearables. However, unlike SafeDistance, Romware Covid Radius and Proximity Alert, which operate using ultra-wideband technology, Maggy runs on Bluetooth 5.1.  

Maggy’s device is “a great example of an innovative yet cost-effective, wearable IoT solution that easily helps enforce social distancing,” says Matt Saunders, vice president of IoT at Silicon Labs. The portable device vibrates when it detects another Maggy within 1.5 meters. 

European recognition

“Our mission was to develop an effective and affordable social distancing device in an incredibly short period of time,” says Ruben Miessen, cofounder of Maggy. “Thanks to Silicon Labs’ Bluetooth SiP module, we could develop a high-performance device that detects another wearer with an accuracy of 15 centimeters.” 

Maggy’s device received recognition as a top business continuity device at the EUvsVirus hackathon 2020, organized by the European Commission. 

Global interest

According to Silicon Labs, discussions are underway to bring the production of Maggy devices to the US. In Europe, 25,000 units have already been produced and 25,000 more are on their way in September. 

But it’s not simply the European and US markets that show great interest in Maggy’s device; organizations in the Middle East have also reached out to the start-up company. “We have already received requests from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates,” explains Allan Segebarth, another Maggy founder. 

More info

Maggy
Reported by
De Tijd newspaper and Fierce Electronics website
27 August 2020

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