Menu
What happens when a metropolitan transit authority with a mandate to treat all customers equally, and people with disabilities who are simply looking to be treated ‘just like everyone else’ are confronted with the same dilemma? It’s the perfect opportunity for technology to bridge the gap with a reliable RFID solution that is both cost effective and makes good use of public funds.
Hyperlight Systems is a Vancouver based RFID and Internet of Things (IoT) Integrator that excels in full stack solutions for accessibility in public transit, supply chain, and tracking things that matter. The company is piloting a custom RFID solution called OpenHAP (Hands-free Access Point): an innovative design that allows persons who do not have use of their arms to leverage passive RFID tags to seamlessly enter and exit train stations without having to tap their transit-payment card. While people with disabilities are tremendously resourceful with the way they use other parts of their body to accomplish simple tasks, OpenHAP is altogether different because it empowers users to pass through public spaces with dignity. Hyperlight is hoping to deploy the solution across 55 urban train stations, and then bring the technology to other cities across the world.
Hyperlight has found the perfect partner in RFID Canada after evaluating several hardware vendors through an unbiased lens. The two companies brought expertise and experience to deliver a cutting edge solution. An assessment was undertaken to compare competing technologies like Beacons (BLE), active and passive RFID. The results led the way for a Proof of Concept. The project is on target to meet some aggressive timelines.
For most of us, accessibility is a matter of convenience, but for those of us who are physically challenged, access is about independence and freedom. Hyperlight Systems understood the problem that needed to be solved and hand crafted a practical solution.