SuperCom to Provide Electronic Handcuffs for Middle East Countries

7 June, 2020

For a pilot program of monitoring COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 crisis beefed up demand for electronic handcuffs. SuperCom's CEO: "The quantities in question are larger than we've seen before"

The Tel Aviv based SuperCom revealed last week that it had sent its electronic ankle bracelets to two Middle Eastern countries for a pilot program to examine these measures concerning tracking COVID-19 patients who stay in home quarantine. Following the announcement, SuperCom’s shares in NASDAQ rose by 10%. The company provides IDs and biometric passports, RFID-based identification tags for the fields of retail and medical, and electronic surveillance solutions for parolees and other populations who are under observation, such as people with dementia who might get lost.

Recently it launched a solution tailored for the monitoring of COVID-19 patients in quarantine. The customized solution called PureCare is not fundamentally different from the handcuff designed for parolees, but is branded differently; it’s colored white and comes with a user-friendly app. It is  a thin, lightweight bracelet worn on the ankle beneath the sock and does not interfere with the patient’s daily routine and is not visible to the environment.

The bracelet communicates with the smartphone via short-range Bluetooth communication. The smartphone’s GPS transmitter is used to accurately identify the location of the person under observation, therefore it is impossible to exit the location without the smartphone, in order to mislead the surveillance system. Several countries have already begun experimenting with the use of electronic handcuffs to monitor COVID-19 patients. The South Korean government places electronic handcuffs on COVID-19 patients who violated their quarantine. In the State of Kentucky, US, the court authorized the application of a similar policy, and Hong Kong decided to attach an electronic handcuff to every incoming tourist to make sure they obey the mandatory 14 days quarantine.

Increasing Production

During the past month, SuperCom has also reported a number of significant deals for the supply of electronic handcuffs for former inmates. The reason: many countries in Europe, North America, and other regions have decided to execute mass early prison releases in order to reduce overcrowding and prevent an outbreak of the plague behind prison walls. This led to a pressing demand for electronic handcuffs.

Last week Supercom announced a new 5-year contract with the national government of Latvia to deploy its enhanced PureSecurity Electronic Monitoring (EM) Suite, including both RF House Arrest and GPS tracking. The nationwide program with the Ministry of Justice is set to cover all cases nationwide requiring electronic monitoring of offenders using both RF House Arrest and GPS Tracking solutions.

The company’s CEO, Arie Trabelsi, said the company is preparing for a spike in demand. “The quantities in question, supplied simultaneously to several countries, are unlike anything we’ve ever encountered. We are making an effort to increase our production output to meet the demand.” The company manufactures its products in Israel.

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Posted in: IoT , Medical , News , Wireless

Posted in tags: COVID-19 , Electronic Handcuffs , SuperCom