Monitoring safety using wireless technology

UGent spin-off Lopos provides real-time location services (RTLS) based on ultra-wideband technology (UWB). ‘We have come a long way from simply a budding idea to a fully-fledged start-up with a tested and certified portable tool,’ says CEO and co-founder Jen Rossey.

The seed for Lopos was sown in the minds of the four founders – Jen Rossey, Bart Jooris, Eli De Poorter and Jan Bauwens – when they were working at IDLab, the joint research laboratory of Ghent University and imec. Together, they had been studying various localisation technologies, including ultra-wideband, for ten years. They quickly realised the potential of UWB technology and started looking for ways to translate this into a business concept. Their first idea was to focus on poultry farmers and breeding companies. By tracking the location data of animals, their customers would be able to research and gain insight into the behaviour of their livestock, poultry, etc.

Supported by imec and Ghent University

During this period, imec and Ghent University provided Lopos with tremendous support, including from an organisational and technical perspective. 'In 2019, our ambition in ultra-wideband led us to participate in Expedition DO! We were all working full-time and had never really taken the time to develop our own ideas. Expedition DO! forced us to take action, and we are really grateful for that! We were one of the winners in 2019. That gave us the final push we needed,' explains Jen. 'With the help of UGent TechTransfer and the IOF (Industrial Research Fund), we launched Lopos as a spin-off that same year and were admitted to imec.istart, a prestigious business accelerator.'

Finding the right market

Lopos had already laid many of the building blocks for a successful start-up, but still needed a good market. Behavioural analysis on animals did not seem to be catching on, so the founders began to explore other markets, such as Industry 4.0, manufacturing and logistics. "We were still looking for the right market when the coronavirus struck. We quickly realised how suitable our technology was for monitoring social distancing requirements. As a flexible start-up, we were able to switch from pure electronics to an innovative product with a concrete impact in just six weeks: a wearable that uses our ultra-wideband technology to measure the distance between people and sends sound, vibration or light warning signals when they get too close to each other.

SafeDistance in action

A wide range of companies are now actively using SafeDistance wearables – from the petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries and large electronics companies to local SMEs. ‘Industrial companies, which are usually unable to work from home, had the most urgent need. But now we are targeting a much wider audience. The wearables can be used in so many different areas to make social distancing possible in a safe way. Today, public places such as libraries and museums are also on our radar,’ says Rossey.

Same mission, different markets

‘Our mission hasn't changed, but our areas of application certainly have since the outbreak of the coronavirus. Our main goal remains to support companies in staying operational during these difficult times and to protect employees,’ says Rossey. ‘At the same time, we realise that the market's interest in social distancing wearables may be short-lived. But it was never our plan to focus exclusively on this product.’