18 March 2025
Dual Inventive, Chrono Eyewear, GBO Innovation Makers have been awarded the prestigious iF Design Award 2025 for their Smart Safety Glasses. These innovative safety glasses are specifically designed for track workers to enhance alertness and reduce fatigue, improving safety on and around the tracks.
iF Design Award
The iF Design Award is a leading design prize that has been presented annually since 1954 to designs that excel in innovation, functionality and impact. This year, nearly 11,000 entries from 66 countries were submitted, with an international jury of 131 experts selecting the Smart Safety Glasses by Dual Inventive, Chrono Eyewear and GBO Innovation Makers as one of the winners in the Industry/Tools category. The panel praised the product for its contribution to safety and wellbeing in challenging working conditions.
Smart Safety Glasses
The Smart Safety Glasses are designed to improve alertness, particularly during night shifts of track workers, dispatchers and train drivers. The glasses comply with EN166 safety standards and are equipped with advanced technology that projects blue light onto the eye. This stimulates brain activity, reduces fatigue and enhances concentration. They work with an integrated cloud-based app that optimises light intensity and duration based on the individual user, helping them to adapt to changing shift patterns and working hours.
These innovative light glasses support fatigue management by boosting energy levels and improving focus, both essential for workplace safety. Industries such as law enforcement, healthcare, postal services and aviation already use this approach with chrono-coaching to enhance safety and increase productivity during night shifts.
Added value for the rail industry
Working on the railway at night presents unique challenges, such as poor lighting conditions, trip hazards, time pressure and an increased risk of fatigue. Research shows that reduced alertness due to fatigue heightens safety risks, especially in complex working environments like rail maintenance. Additionally, people who regularly work night shifts face increased health risks, including obesity, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. By using the Smart Safety Glasses, track workers can remain more alert, improving their own safety and that of their colleagues. The ergonomic and lightweight design has been specially developed for long-term use in industrial environments.
Pilot Project
The first pilot in the rail maintenance sector is set to launch soon with 18 employees from contractor VolkerRail. This initiative emerged from VolkerRail’s Winter School, which focused on innovation, safety and wellbeing. During the pilot, the glasses will be tested in various work environments to enable further optimisation.
For track workers who frequently work night shifts these innovative safety light glasses could play a crucial role in improving alertness and safety during their duties, ultimately leading to increased productivity. The application of this cutting-edge technology in the rail sector could contribute to a more reliable and safer rail infrastructure.
For more information, please email info@dualinventive.com
