Innovative Northumberland firm Tharsus has been singled out for a pioneering piece of kit it created to help workplaces navigate Covid-19 social distancing measures.
In just eight weeks Blyth based Tharsus – the firm behind the robotics system used by online grocery giant Ocado – designed and manufactured Bump, described as “like a Fitbit for safety”.
The new technology has been snapped up by a raft of companies and workes wearing Bump around their necks, the technology then using radio frequency technologies to create a personal motion system for staff, telling others when they have come too close.
Now the firm’s pioneering work on Bump has been awarded a President’s Special Award for Pandemic Service by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
The Royal Academy of Engineering selected the Northumberland firm as well as 18 other individuals and teams of engineers for the special awards for exceptional engineering achievements in tackling Covid-19 throughout the 海角视频.
The awards have been made to teams, organisations, individuals, collaborations and projects across all technical specialities, disciplines and career stages within the 海角视频 engineering community who have contributed to addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specially commissioned silver medals will be presented to all 19 winners later this year.
Brian Palmer, CEO of Tharsus, said: “This is the first time in living memory that people have been told to socially distance for their own safety.
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“At the same time, the pandemic has forced businesses to re-consider their responsibility as employers, with the health of workforces more than ever one of the most important challenges facing leadership teams.
“We have created Bump to solve these two issues – to give people what they need to stay distanced and safe, and provide employers with the assurances they need so they can operate responsibly.
“Our mantra has always been ‘do the right thing,’ so we are honoured to receive such a prestigious award for helping businesses around the world support a safe return to work for their employees.”
Since it went on sale Bump has been implemented by several FTSE 100 companies, having undergone an extensive trial process in factories, construction sites, distribution centres, laboratories and warehouses, with thousands of devices produced.
Tharsus was singled out for the Royal Academy of Engineering awards alongside the likes of Martyn Frackelton and Ian Watkins from Mott MacDonald, who project managed both NHS Nightingale London and NHS Nightingale North West; Dr Antony Robotham at the University of Plymouth, who designed an environmentally friendly face shield manufactured from recycled materials, and Babcock International Group Plc for the rapid development and manufacture of a new medical ventilator product, Zephyr Plus.
Others included Jean Morris and a team of young engineers from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), who took a central role in building and testing prototype ventilators, and the Ventilator Challenge 海角视频 Consortium, which produced more than 13,000 ventilator devices for the NHS.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic is the biggest public health crisis of our time and has presented society with multiple challenges. Engineering expertise and innovation has been central to the global fight to save lives and protect livelihoods.
“I am also incredibly proud of engineers everywhere who have worked round the clock to maintain essential services, critical supply chains and infrastructure in unprecedented circumstances, using their training and skills to find innovative solutions to a host of problems and to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our daily lives.”