At the beginning of the Corona pandemic, Kinexon has developed a system that warns of insufficient safety distances and enables contact tracing. The core of this "Safezone" solution is a small white box equipped with a sensor that can be worn on the body in the form of so-called wearables – as a bracelet, clip, or lanyard. If two of the sensors come too close to each other for a certain period of time, they emit a visual and acoustic warning signal. The minimum distance can be adjusted variably – for example, to the 1.5 meters recommended by the Robert Koch Institute to minimize the risk of infection with COVID-19. The company also offers contact tracing software that can be used to trace chains of infection without violating personal rights.
Ultra-wideband instead of Bluetooth
Unlike the official German Corona warning app, the system doesn't operate via Bluetooth, but rather uses ultra-wideband technology. This enables temporally and spatially precise detection of less than 10 centimeters. This allows, among other things, to detect whether two people are standing back to back or looking at each other. Kinexon is targeting this product not at private individuals, but rather at companies, which it hopes will be supported in complying with Corona regulations. The system is now not only used by large companies in Germany, but is also indispensable for the restart of the US professional football (NFL) and basketball (NBA) leagues. TUM President Thomas F. Hofmann says:
"Kinexon is another outstanding example of the entrepreneurial spirit of our graduates. This success story of Kinexon and the numerous support offers from TUM are the best motivation for the next generation of founders."
Promotion during the day, Kinexon at night
Initially, the company focused on the sports and media sector:
“The idea came about eight years ago when Alexander Hüttenbrink and I learned during a tour of the Allianz Arena how complex performance data was recorded,”
told Oliver Trinchera, co-founder and, together with Hüttenbrink, managing director of Kinexon.
"In a high-tech country like Germany, we thought this had to be done faster and better. And so, while working on our doctorates at the TUM School of Management during the day, we further developed the idea for Kinexon at night."
The idea for a Corona security system emerged early on.
"Through our contact with our suppliers in Asia, we sensed early on that significant challenges would arise for the economy and society. At that time, few people in this country had the issue so prominently on their radar,"
Oliver Trinchera continued.
“Our advantage was that we not only had insight into the industry’s needs and experience with wearables, but also had sensors that were already internationally certified.”
Maintain operations and protect employees
The company was able to develop a first version of the product within about eight weeks.
"Our best people contributed with great commitment. Thanks to our well-established supply chains and good references, we were able to quickly acquire a large number of customers – thus enabling companies to maintain operations while protecting their employees."
Since its founding in 2012, Kinexon has grown to over 200 employees and has offices in Chicago and New York. Development and production remain in Bavaria, however.
