"Warehouses are making workers wear biometric harnesses that track their movements on the job", 6 November 2019

...The [biometric] device is a wearable gadget...that... monitors workers' every move, tracking exactly how much they're lifting and how much time they spend standing still. Employers like Walmart, Toyota, and Heineken are already testing the device in warehouses and fulfillment centers...

...StrongArm Technologies...created the biometric device as a way to improve workplace safety...Employers can track data on workers who repeat unsafe movements and single them out for further training.

But employers...[are] also using it to monitor worker productivity and, in some cases, even plan how to replace workers with automation. Bloomberg reported that...Geodis is one company aggregating data from StrongArm devices to gauge workers' efficiency.

In a statement...StrongArm...said the company intends for its devices to be used to protect industrial workers' health and safety, and that StrongArm discourages employers from using it punitively...

...A Walmart spokesperson...[said] the company only uses StrongArm for safety education and training. A Geodis spokesperson did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment...

...Workers have raised concerns about the panopticon StrongArm offers to employers...a labor union rep...told Bloomberg he was unnerved when a General Electric factory he worked at began instructing workers to wear the devices...