Rugged Computers for Driver Safety, Mobile Ticketing, Route Optimization and as Drive Control Units (DCUs)
Handheld Group, a company with its roots in Sweden, manufactures rugged mobile handhelds and tablets designed to withstand challenging work environments from public transportation to forestry, from industrial warehouses to outdoor environments, and from railway maintenance to mining.
With a focus on durability, performance, and ergonomic design coupled with a full ecosystem of enterprise-focused accessories, Handheld’s mobile computer lineup is ideal for use in public transportation. Here are a few examples:
Efficient Public Transportation with ALGIZ Rugged Tablets
A large European transportation authority recently upgraded their onboard solution by
deploying hundreds of Handheld’s Algiz rugged tablets to its public buses —and they’re using the tablet’s 4G/LTE connection to bring each bus’s local network online.
Previously, the ticketing system would store a day’s worth of data — such as travel card funds, number of passengers, locations traveled, and quantity of tickets sold — and then sync up with the central server while plugged into a cable overnight. This caused some significant problems, especially for travel card users. For example, if a bus is on the road at 6 a.m., and at 7 a.m. a traveler fills his empty travel card with money via his home computer or mobile phone, that bus will only have the data from the day before — when the card was empty.
In contrast, buses equipped with a connected rugged tablet can exchange information in real time: Each vehicle’s server is constantly refreshed with new data from the central server, and on-board transactions are sent to the central system immediately.
Durable Driver Control Units (DCUs)
Handheld’s robust and durable Android and Windows tablets are used onboard buses as a Driver Control Unit (DCU). A DCU is a critical element of modern transit operations, assisting drivers with route management, vehicle diagnostics, and communications. When a rugged tablet is used as a DCU, it simplifies these tasks with integrated features like GPS, robust processing power, and large, clear display. Plus, given their compact size, rugged tablets allow for more efficient space utilization inside the driver’s cabin compared to traditional DCUs.
The tablet’s touch-screen interface allows drivers to easily access real-time data, from route changes to traffic updates. With built-in connectivity options, the tablet DCU enables seamless communication between drivers and control centers, ensuring that drivers always have the latest information at their fingertips.
Handheld offers both Android and Windows rugged tablets with unmatched value for as a driver control unit or for mobile mapping. Algiz rugged tablets are compact in size and combine powerful computing with ultimate reliability in the toughest environments. Fast processing power along with user-friendly features and design provides efficiency on long workdays for bus drivers.
Rugged tablets as DCUs provide an innovative, practical, and efficient solution, enhancing the effectiveness and safety of transit operations.
Long-distance Driving: Early Warning Drowsiness Detection System
Studies have shown that drivers falling asleep or driving drowsy is a major cause of vehicle accidents; in fact, sleepiness can be as dangerous as inebriation. Although drowsiness whilst driving can occur at any time, this is of special concern to professional drivers who drive long distances at a stretch, when weariness can creep in without the driver’s notice.
Using specialized glasses, software and Eagle Light product based on the Handheld Nautiz X2 ultra-rugged computer, Optalert offers an early-warning drowsiness detection solution to a variety of users. The driver puts on lightweight, wireless glasses that quickly and easily connect via BT to the Nautiz X2 mounted in the vehicle and then measure the velocity of the driver’s eyelid movement. Wi-Fi and cellular communications transmit driver status information back to a cloud-based monitoring and reporting system.
The eyelid measurement from the glasses is translated into a score, which the driver sees displayed in real-time on the Nautiz X2 ultra-rugged handheld. The system provides both visual and audible warnings to the user when their drowsiness levels reach certain pre-determined levels. This allows them to recognize fatigue and increasing risk and take breaks during their journey to continue keeping drivers alert and avoid causing accidents.
Outdoor-Rugged and Full-Featured for Maximizes Field Performance
With a focus on durability, performance, ergonomic design and smart accessories, Handheld’s mobile computers all come with an IP67 or IP65 rating meaning that they are waterproof and fully protected against dust.
Meeting stringent MIL-STD-810 test standards for withstanding vibration, drops and tumbles, as well as extreme temperatures, dust and water, these rugged tablets and handhelds can handle the daily pressures of road conditions, making them ideal for deployment in vehicles.
With their robust design, powerful performance, and flexible connectivity options, Handheld’s product line of rugged tablets and handheld data collectors offer exceptional performance reliability, at an affordable price, making them a top choice for those in need of stable mobile computing solutions.
