Proxgy smart helmet targets blue-collar workers on its CES debut

One of the many side effects of the Covid-19 pandemic was how much it made existing inequalities even wider while surfacing others that many hadn’t even considered. Among them, unequal access to technology.

If you complained about working from home rather than the office, consider the millions of people working in industries where that simply wasn’t a choice. A survey by PEW Research suggests that in the US alone, 60% of the workforce have jobs that can’t be done from home. In India – where the startup we interviewed for this article is based – there are more than 450 million industrial workers alone.

There’s reason for optimism, though. When we spoke to Narendra Chakraborty, a Senior Product Designer at Proxgy, he was enthusiastic about the company’s products elevating the role of technology for blue-collar workers. And while that might not enable them to work from home anytime soon, it might play a role in keeping them safer in environments – such as construction or mining – that are often hazardous.

It’s no wonder that CES 2024 recognised Proxgy as an Honoree for Smart Wearables at its Innovation Awards. We look into it further in the interview below, edited for clarity.

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Could you please introduce yourself and the company?

My name is Narendra and I work at Proxgy, an India-based startup. We develop IoT solutions for industrial workers, particularly blue-collar workers.

In the post-Covid years, there have been a lot of software products launched that primarily target white-collar workers, with not much happening specifically targeting industrial workers. We try to close the gap, so to speak, between white-collar and blue-collar workers.

What kind of products have you launched?

The MVP product of our portfolio is our smart safety helmet, the SmartHat.

What makes it smart is the sensors we’re using. It has built-in sensors that measure the worker’s health, including body temperature, SpO2 levels and heart rate, as well as sensors that measure environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity and pressure. This makes it ideal for industries like construction and mining. It also has what we believe is the world’s smallest gas sensor, which detects inflammable and poisonous gases.

In addition, it has a central alert system that detects if an accident happens with the worker. For example, it can detect if the worker falls or if something lands on top of the helmet or hits the helmet. If an anomaly is detected, an alert is automatically triggered without the worker having to do anything. There’s an SOS switch should it be needed, though.

Finally, there are front and back cameras installed, which make live video calls easier.

How’s that?

You can imagine a scenario where someone in a white-collar role, sitting behind a desk, needs to have a call with a supervisor working in the field. Our helmet integrates with Microsoft Teams, so the person behind the desk can just call the supervisor and see through the cameras what’s going on.

Off the back of this, we are also creating dashboards that make it simpler to monitor workers and see how they are performing against KPIs. The integration of hardware and software makes it possible for us to track when the worker enters the perimeter, when they start their day, when they end and how they spend their time, which dispenses with having a separate workforce management system tracking when workers punch in and out. This is a complete solution for industrial workers.

How much does Proxgy’s SmartHat cost?

Depends on the industry. For miners, who typically require more sensors, it’s priced at $999. For construction workers, where fewer sensors are needed, it’s $499. The most basic version with just the cameras is $99. These prices depend on the market and specs required; the prices I mentioned are for India, which is the only market in which we sell right now. The prices will likely be different in the US market.

I get what the benefit is for bigger construction companies but would smaller companies be willing to take on that cost?

We offer a subscription-based model for smaller companies that allows them to rent out the helmets. This helps them address periods when they might not have a need for it. Right now we only sell directly to businesses; we are not available on Amazon or Flipkart for example. In India, we sell to companies like Adani.

How long have you been in business?

Three years during which we have grown a lot. We are one of the highest-funded companies from Shark Tank India. We have won awards at GiTex Dubai as well as GiTex Africa, which are important business event recognitions. We have also been recognised by InDesign as an Honoree this year and we have won the Lexus Design Awards India for best design awards. This year at CES we are an Honoree on the Innovation Awards.

Are you hoping to break into the US market this year?

Yes, we have already applied for the necessary FCC and CE certifications, which usually take around ten months. We hope that by the end of 2024, we’ll be in the US market as well.