Indian conglomerate Tata Group has announced plans to launch two wearables in the near future – one focused on crane workers in the company’s giant steelworks facilities and the other on…yoga.
The factory worker wearable is being tested inside Tata Steel factories by crane workers. A Tata spokesperson said it will save lives by alerting management to accidents on the factory floor.
See Also: Will wearables replace gym memberships for corporate wellness?
It will also be available for other businesses to purchase later in the year, adding to the growing list of corporate focused wearables. Fitbit leads in this market, but a name like Tata might be more inviting to businesses, especially in India.
From steel workers….to yogis
As for the yoga wearable, it is designed to track breathing patterns, alertness, and other fitness metrics. Tata hasn’t released any photos of the two wearables.
“We are going back to the basics with our yoga wearable. Users can stop many lifestyle diseases at their very onset,” said group chief technology officer of Tata Sons, Gopichand Katragadda. “We have the technology to develop different kinds of wearables and we want to bring Made in India products into the market.”
India’s wearable market is currently valued at $3.7 million and Fitbit, Apple, and Samsung are all selling wearables in the country. Having a “Made in India” option might be appealing to customers that don’t like products made in China or South Korea, as we’ve seen in the mobile market with the rise of Micromax.
While Tata has taken an aggressive approach to the new world of IoT, the Indian conglomerate has also made headlines recently for less positive reason. The firm has put all of its less-efficient UK steel plants up for sale. If the company is unable to find a buyer, it might pull out of the country altogether, putting thousands of UK steel jobs at risk.
