digades involved in the model project "Corona Warning Buzzer"

Thursday, 13th August 2020

digades is involved in the development of a new corona warning buzzer, which functions as an independent tracing app without a smartphone. The model project is funded by the Free State of Saxony and will be realised in compliance with the applicable data protection regulations. Other project partners are the FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna, the Dresden specialist for IoT applications Exelonix and the Barkhausen Institute of TU Dresden. A large number of prototypes of the Corona Warning Buzzer will first be tested under real conditions in Augustusburg, Saxony, during the development phase.

The system allows chains of infection to be tracked in real time to prevent lockdowns across the board. In addition, the use of technical solutions enables faster and more extensive relaxation in many areas of social life. With the "Corona Warning App", the Federal Government has already provided an instrument with which chains of infection can be traced and interrupted. However, especially senior citizens and children do not always have a smartphone and are therefore not integrated in the tracing system. The share of people without a smartphone in the age group of over 70 years is about 40%. Saxony's Health Minister Petra Köpping: "It is important that we continue to work on the right ideas together with various partners from industry and research. The COVID-19 pandemic has not ended yet. I am pleased that we can take another step today to provide a bit more security, especially for risk groups".

Together, users of the Corona Warning Buzzer and the "Corona Warning App" can ensure that infection chains are detected and interrupted as completely as possible. The Corona Warning Buzzer records its contacts in or out of buildings, without determining the location of the contacts or even personalising the contacts. Using tracing, the system recognises which mobile phones or other warning buzzers have been critically approached for a certain period of time. Other smartphones or buzzers are detected via Bluetooth. The Corona Warning Buzzer only registers devices, not people. Communication with the database of the Robert Koch Institute is via mobile phone (NB-IoT). Users are alerted by LED and sound signal in case of contact with a Covid-19 patient. Stored data is automatically deleted after 14 days.

Within the framework of the joint project, digades is responsible for the certification, series transition and production of the Corona Warning Buzzer. Thanks to its comprehensive expertise in electronics development and production, the company guarantees the fast and reliable production of the end devices for the model test.