Where is MākuSafe Matt on RAGBRAI?

July 18, 2023

Remote worker capability was introduced about a year ago by MākuSafe. This allowed for a worker to have a wearable device with them in the field and transmit real-time GPS enriched safety data, without being restricted to the inside of their organizations facility. 

MākuSafe made this possible by leveraging an app developed for the workers mobile device. The Android version of the app was the first released, and has been tested now in the field with multiple clients over several months. The limitation however was the fact that the worker had to check out their device from a kiosk or base station at the beginning of their day and return it at the end of the day to recharge.

MākuSafe has recently developed its first prototypes of a remote worker field charger, and is testing them currently. The State of Iowa’s RAGBRAI tradition is a good opportunity for our team to enjoy the challenge of seven days of cycling from the Missouri River to the Mississippi, and at the same time test the chargers over days in the field.

The new field/mobile chargers:

• will allow plugging into a car, external battery pack, or other source of power
• enables a remote worker to recharge their wearable without needing to return to a MākuSafe charging Kiosk back at the office
• will support workers away from the office for a day or two like route drivers, or field supervisors, as well as extended work on site or at remote locations
• available in the future from MākuSafe, release date not yet determined

The MākuSafe IOS app is also in beta testing now, adding use for those who may not have Android smartphones.

We will be using this technology to follow one of our employees, Matt Joens as he rides RAGBRAI. RAGRAI is the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa; an epic eight-day rolling festival of bicycles, music, food, camaraderie, and community. It is the oldest, largest, and longest multi-day bicycle touring event in the world. Kendra Rathje will be monitoring the environmental and motion hazard data real-time as it is being collected by the wearable device Matt is wearing and aggregated into MakuSmart, our cloud analytics dashboard.

DAY 1 – JULY 22

It doesn’t appear that Matt is over-exerting himself today. We haven’t received any high force motion indicators from his device.  Today the weather is a bit more mild but the forecast for the rest of the week is in the 90s so we will likely start to see temp and heat index warnings. He did leave a voice report from his device which you can see the transcription circled in the image below.

You can see Matt completed the ceremonial dipping of tires in the Missouri River to kick off the week-long ride. Be sure to follow along for all the updates on our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as well!

DAY 2 – JULY 23

Matt reported a hazard today via the voice reporting feature; a broken spoke within the first mile! High force motion indicators show Matt has experienced some impactful movements (which is to be expected) and our models are labelling this as push/pull. Luckily, all of his environmentals have been in an acceptable range with no high heat or humidity, unsafe CO2 or noise exposure today.

DAY 3 – JULY 24

Matt started the day the Iowa way with sweet corn for breakfast! After getting an early start from Storm Lake to beat the heat, he did have more exertion and motion hazards today in the form of push/pulls as indicated in MākuSmart. Matt took a break to give the wearable device a charge with the remote field charger. Fortunately with the early start we didn’t see any high heat indicators for Matt during his ride, although that may change as we see temps continue to soar the rest of this week.

DAY 4 – JULY 25

DAY 5 – JULY 26

Matt was fortunate to have some company on the road today! Aaron Johnson, MākuSafe’s Managing Director of International Business Development and his family joined RAGBRAI for the day. Our favorite Director of Maple Studios, Megan Brandt also made a cameo appearance!

This week was anticipated to be a scorcher and with temps above 95 degrees across Iowa today, we knew to be prepared for some high heat indicators. Sure enough, Matt did have a high heat index warning and also had some indicators for push/pull and repetitive motion hazards.

It’s important to note the role heat can play in injuries. A 2021 UCLA study shows that on days with high temperature above 90 degrees, workers have a 6% to 9% higher risk of injuries than they do on days with temperatures in the 50s or 60s. When the thermometer tops 100, the risk of injuries increases by 10% to 15%.

We have been encouraging our riders to stay hydrated and take plenty of shaded breaks! Don’t worry about Matt, he found a way to cool off at the end of the day.