MONTREAL, Oct. 7, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada announced today it plans to explore the application of COVID-19 contact tracing technology in its workplace using the Bluetooth enabled TraceSCAN app and wearable technology developed by Canadian-based Facedrive Inc.
"The health and safety of our employees is of paramount concern to Air Canada and is key to restoring our operations safely for our customers. Air Canada has embraced a science-based approach to managing COVID-19 and as part of this has committed to evaluate the use of new technologies like TraceSCAN's wearables. We are enthusiastic about exploring the use of TraceSCAN because this Canadian technology has the potential to provide another layer of safety for our employees, so they can focus on taking care of our customers," said Samuel Elfassy, Vice President, Safety at Air Canada.
"Our project with Air Canada is ground-breaking and provides another critical example of how TraceSCAN supplements the capability of the Canadian government-sponsored COVID Alert App. TraceSCAN will allow Air Canada to provide further protection to their employees, especially as many of these employees work in environments where the use of cell phone technology is not possible," said Sayan Navaratnam, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Facedrive Inc. "We are very pleased to help Air Canada explore ways to provide additional protection to their employees. We hope this pilot will be a model for other airlines to follow and look forward to continuing to work with industry to protect Canadians as our country returns to its normal working and travel schedules."
The technology behind TraceSCAN was developed in partnership with leading minds at the University of Waterloo.
"TraceSCAN is an AI-powered solution for contact tracing in the workplace which can track staff exposure to COVID-19 without GPS information. The technology provides a risk-based assessment of an individual's exposure within dynamic and dense work environments. The technology enables the creation and management of safer work environments needed during this critical phase of the pandemic," said William Melek, University of Waterloo mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor.
Air Canada has been at the forefront of the airline industry in responding to COVID-19, including being among the first carriers globally to require customer face coverings onboard and the first airline in the Americas to take customers' temperatures prior to boarding. In May it introduced a comprehensive program, Air Canada CleanCare+, to apply industry leading biosafety measures at each stage of the journey. Air Canada has also partnered with medical and technology organizations to further advance biosafety across its business, including with McMaster HealthLabs for an airport arrivals COVID-19 study, the Cleveland Clinic Canada for medical advisory services, Abbott for rapid testing, Spartan Bioscience to explore portable COVID-19 testing technology and, since 2019, with Toronto-based BlueDot for real-time infectious disease global monitoring.
TraceSCAN Wearables is an innovative technology, combining AI-enabled mobile application along with wearables devices built on the nRF52 Bluetooth chipset, which is used by the world's leading wearable manufacturers. Facedrive Health developed industry-specific TraceSCAN wearable technology to slow the spread of COVID-19 at the workplace through wristbands, wearable tags worn around the neck or pods that can be kept in the pocket.
CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This news release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements are identified using terms and phrases such as "preliminary", "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", "expect", and similar terms and phrases and may involve, but are not limited to, comments relating to guidance, strategies, expectations, planned operations or future actions. Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are based on assumptions, including any described herein and are subject to important risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements cannot be relied upon due to, amongst other things, changing external events and general uncertainties of the business. Actual results may differ materially from results indicated in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those identified in Air Canada's public disclosure file available at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent Air Canada's expectations as of the date of this news release (or as of the date they are otherwise stated to be made) and are subject to change after such date. However, Air Canada disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2019 served over 51 million customers. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which also named Air Canada the 2019 Best Airline in North America. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media, follow Air Canada on Twitter and LinkedIn, and join Air Canada on Facebook.
About Facedrive Inc.
Facedrive is a multi-faceted "people-and-planet first" platform offering socially-responsible services to local communities with a strong commitment to doing business fairly, equitably and sustainably. Facedrive rideshare was the first to offer green transportation solutions in the TaaS space, planting thousands of trees and giving users a choice between EVs, hybrids and conventional vehicles. Facedrive Marketplace offers curated merchandise created from sustainably sourced materials. Facedrive Foods offers contactless deliveries of healthy foods right to consumers' doorsteps. Facedrive Health develops innovative technological solutions to the most acute health challenges of the day. Facedrive is changing the ridesharing, food delivery, e-commerce and health tech narratives for the better, for everyone. For more about Facedrive, visit www.facedrive.com.
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