This is kind of music related, but to many other activities as well perhaps. IK Multimedia just announced it today, the “Safe Spacer” device. They are touting it as a way to reopen the music industry, but specifically designed it for Italian factory workers so that industry could open back up (IK is based in Modena, Italy). It says "“available in early Q3” so it’s not available yet, and will cost about $100 per unit, with volume discounts available.
Just curious if anyone thinks this will help reopen the music industry? And if so, what does that look like, how will it work?
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Ideal for factories, warehouses and offices, Safe Spacer can also be used by visitors of public spaces such as music schools, large retailers, auditoriums, workshops spaces and more. Engineered for fast, easy disinfection, it’s also waterproof. For minimal handling, Safe Spacer works wirelessly via NFC contactless technology or Bluetooth.
Oh, and here’s the snazzy video, which doesn’t have anything music related on a quick look. I guess IK took their expertise to the market and is trying to wedge it back into music somehow. They say it’s not going to store sensitive data, but yet can be used for Contact Tracing if need be. I guess they’ll find a way to track us no matter what.
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Didnt know IK made that device. It could come in handy for many things if it really works. Might not be possible in a crowded setting but can definitely allow people a safe distance. Reminds me of the “bubble” concept taught in preschools, keep your bubble. I always liked that. As for music industry, I can see this being used to space out concert seating of the future.
I think unless the cost comes down with economy of scale, it’s a bit prohibitive for mass use and in large venues. We’ll see. Possibly for stage musicians and crew though. I guess the days of high-fiving the crowd and stage diving are over, not to mention mosh pits.
I was thinking it could be used in say a recording studio, where you have like 10 devices - one for each studio team member, and one for each musician in a band (the client), with the client ones being ‘loaners’ for the session. Disinfect them and store them in the mic locker for next time. Obviously, “visual alarm” would be all that could be used in session, but if you’re not looking at the device at the time I’m not sure you’d see it. With ‘vibrate’ on you may capture the sound on the recording …
Looks like such a cash grab to me. $100 for something that goes beep if its close to another of the same devices!!! Your phone can already do this…its’ called bluetooth.
I’m pretty sure most people can tell if they are about 2m from someone else without the help of such devices.
It is no replacement for proper PPE and common sense.
The video had me laughing pretty hard. This almost seems like an SNL skit. Man, I feel like I’m living in a dream in this Covid-19 world. Not sure if I should, laugh, cry or scream.
SNL is exactly what I thought of. They are going to end up with crates of those things sitting in a warehouse next to pallets of pet rocks, Flowbees, and Pocket fisherman.
While most people have become aware of and started practicing SD (SocDis, social distancing), it doesn’t work consistently. Especially as the fear factor subsides a little bit, people are less hyper-vigilant and easily distracted. The other day, a lady at the market nearly ran into me cruising out of the side aisle while looking down at her phone or shopping list. Several other incidents like this also give me the view that people are going to forget SD much of the time as things start to get back to ‘normal’.
At first it seemed like a nightmare, now maybe a bad dream. Quite surreal … like an apocalypse movie.
At least with Pocket Fisherman you could try to feed yourself when the meat packing plants shut down. “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” - Lao Tzu
I just saw this about Keith Urban giving a concert at a drive-in theater outside Nashville last night. Interesting perspective on how to do a live performance these days. Sans Safe Spacer of course.
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Urban and his team spent a month planning the concert to play with a minimal crew.
“I didn’t really have a live band on stage. I had two players, but they were 8 or 10 feet away from me. And some ways, it was like glorified karaoke. There was a guy playing tracks and then keyboard, sort of his laptops of tracks and I’m singing live and playing but it meant that we had very limited crew. All the crew had masks on,” he said.
“It was a way to see what this could look like and it’s definitely a potential,” Urban added.
Music artists have been talking about doing concerts at Drive-In theaters this summer. The idea is pretty much the same as the regular Drive-In Theaters, except you have to stay confined to your vehicle. I doubt they’ll allow people to pull out the lawn chairs and have groups of people camped outside their vehicles like you sometimes see at these places. I’m thinking that there could be some difficulties with the lineups at the restrooms…Even during normal times there can be lineups where you have to wait a considerable amount of time. I’m having a hard time envisioning how they’re going to pull off that one. There’ll probably be a very limited amount of people and/or vehicles allowed to attend the concerts so that these kinds of issues won’t be as bad.
Like a lot of other businesses and activities, I think people are trying to find ways to get back somewhat to the way things used to be. But at this point, it looks like any mass gatherings of people anywhere are just not feasible. That’s bad news for tours and ticket sellers in terms of the economics. It may end up going the way of pay-per-view, like the Superbowl and big boxing matches.
That’s a good point about the restrooms, since even if you have SD at events, trying to keep restrooms sanitized between each use is nearly impossible unless they come up with some new technologies to handle that.
Obviously, “visual alarm” would be all that could be used in session, but if you’re not looking at the device at the time I’m not sure you’d see it. With ‘vibrate’ on you may capture the sound on the recording …
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” - Lao Tzu