Amazon India on Thursday announced the deployment of ‘Distance Assistant’ across its operational sites in the country to help maintain social distancing.

Amazon has previously rolled out the technology in the United States and a few other countries.

The tool leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to remind associates to maintain social distancing while on site. It provides social distancing feedback, in real-time.

‘Distance Assistant’ leverages artificial intelligence, augmented reality and machine learning to track individual movements and gauge their physical distance from others. It provides associates with immediate visual feedback via a monitor, camera, and local computing device when moving in an Amazon India site.

The self-contained standalone units will be stationed across entrances and high traffic areas across Amazon India’s Fulfilment Centres, Sort Centres and Delivery Stations.

The monitor which is connected to the camera will display a live video feed with visual cues to show if a six-feet distance is maintained by associates as people walk by. Individuals remaining six feet apart will be highlighted with green circles, while those who are closer are highlighted in red.

Dr Karuna Shankar Pande, Director – Fulfilment Centers and Safety, Amazon India, said “Distance Assistant will continue to enhance our safety practices and also empower our efforts to implement additional measures to improve social distancing.”

The company has previously implemented close to 100 changes in its operational processes, including process flow changes, mandatory wearing of masks at all times, and daily temperature checks, among others, it said.

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