Technical expert Simonelli encountered a severe accident over a decade ago during a motorcycle race, where he was rushed to a nearby hospital without anyone recognizing him. This led to two days of unconsciousness, with no one able to contact his family as he didn’t carry any identification. Addressing this concern during his recovery, Simonelli, leveraging his expertise in NFC technology, decided to develop a solution based on this technology to prevent similar incidents for other motorcyclists or athletes.
Simonelli’s initial product was a bracelet with a built-in USB flash drive. However, in 2008, many emergency responders’ ambulances lacked computers to access real-time data. Therefore, in 2015, Simonelli created ICE-Key, along with an application for Android devices. Subsequently, he collaborated with Avery Dennison to incorporate this technology into their Textrace NFC tags. The ICE-Key tag can store a unique ID related to identity and health information (such as name, emergency contacts, or blood type) in the application.
Users can download the ICE-Key Tag mobile application and input data for the unique ID they want to link to the shoe tag. This can include their name, blood type, emergency contacts, as well as photos and other health information, such as food or drug allergies, previous surgeries, and vaccinations. They can also set their language preference, with seven options available. In emergencies, responders simply need to take out their smartphones and click within 1 to 4 centimeters of the shoe to read the tag, which can be read at a speed of 424 kilobits per second.
Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar, who rides for the UAE Team, first wore these shoes in July during the Tour de France. Many athletes cannot carry personal documents, including racers, swimmers, or cyclists. Although wearable identification solutions like smartwatches or smartphones exist, Simonelli pointed out that they require a password, and emergency personnel may not know how to unlock them. Therefore, he believes it is essential for outdoor athletes to wear shoes with ICE-Key tags.
This article was originally published by Ulink Media, the organizer of IOTE EXPO (IoT Expo in China).
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