NPR

Wrist Watching: Amazon Patents System To Track, Guide Employees' Hands

The online retailer has acquired patents for wristbands using radio frequencies or ultrasonic pulses to identify exactly where a warehouse worker's hands are, and indicate if they need to move.
A diagram from an Amazon patent application shows a human worker (labeled with "14") wearing an ultrasonic bracelet tracking his or her hand movements and providing feedback. The patent was granted on Tuesday.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Amazon two patents for wristbands that could track the exact location of warehouse workers' hands — and give workers tactile feedback to help guide them to a specific shelf.

The wristband and receiver system, as shown above in a diagram from the patent application, would rely on radio frequencies or ultrasonic pulses to monitor the device's

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