Guanyu Technology’s ‘intelligent uniforms’ feature a pair of chips in the shoulders to keep track of students locations. (Image credit: Guanyu Technology via ABC)
More than ten schools in China’s Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have adopted intelligent uniforms for their students in an effort to keep tabs on their location- when they enter and exit school grounds. School officials record when they arrive and depart, and automatically transmit that data to both teachers and parents to better monitor student’s attendance and their whereabouts throughout the day.
Designed by Guanyu Technology, the uniforms are outfitted with a pair of chips that transmit the time and date as students enter school. Facial recognition cameras at the entrance of each school also ensure that each student is wearing their rightful uniform, which helps cut down on truancy. In fact, skipping class triggers an alarm that sends out a message to both teachers and parents of their absenteeism, and an automatic voice alarm sounds if the child walks out of school without permission. If that wasn’t enough, a GPS tracking system also monitors the students when they leave school grounds.
Guanyu Technology states the uniforms focus on safety issues and offers a smart-management system that benefits students, teachers, and parents. (Image credit: Guanyu Technology via ABC)
Staying on the security aspect of the intelligent uniforms, apparently, alarms will also sound if students fall asleep in class, while parents can monitor their purchases at the school and adjust their spending limits via a mobile app.
It’s easy to look at Guanyu Technology’s uniforms and immediately think of going overboard on the invasion of privacy aspect that they bring. That being said, since their adoption in 2016, attendance rates have significantly improved over the last two years, and chances are, those numbers probably won’t drop anytime soon.
Have a story tip? Message me at: cabe(at)element14(dot)com
http://twitter.com/Cabe_Atwell