Cruise company Royal Caribbean is launching a purpose-built connected wearable to provide a range of functions for its passengers.
Being developed by Vancouver-based IoT platform company TraceSafe, the bracelet will provide Covid-19 contact tracing, serve as a room key, a wireless payment method, a locations analytics tool, and a communications device.
The bracelet will be deployed across Royal Caribbean’s 24-ship fleet, which includes four of the world’s largest passenger vessels.
Considering the company will carry three million passengers in 2021, making up 19% of global cruise traffic according to Cruise Market Watch, it would not be surprising to see competing operators follow suit.
Royal Caribbean hopes the wearable will also help it to improve logistics by analysing location data to better understand passenger movement onboard its ships.
Smart wearables have been used by hospitals for contact tracing and are starting to find uses in numerous other industries.
Royal Caribbean is set to be the first major customer to use TraceSafe’s connected bracelet.
Jay Schneider, chief product innovation officer at Royal Caribbean Group, said: “It was the willingness of the TraceSafe team to develop a custom device that met our requirements for style and design that propelled the partnership forward.
We look forward to continuing this engagement as we explore the many new opportunities for IoT technology onboard our ships.”
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