North Pole 4.0: assisting Santa’s operations with IoT

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a monitor was whirring, not even the click of a mouse.

While Santa’s operations have remained traditional thus far, the folks at Digital Catapult thought that with toy production, gift wrapping, delegation, delivery, and many employees under his festive umbrella to manage, the big man may benefit from Industry 4.0 tools this year.

In a bid to assist, the UK’s tech innovation agency – which turned ten last month – decided to collaborate with a handful of IoT start-ups to explore how Santa might take his processes online to create efficiencies and save time.

Industrial IoT firm Pathfindr showcased its ultra-wideband radio technology, which could “revolutionise” the way Santa’s elves find and manage presents in the warehouse by adding tracking and monitoring sensors to the gifts, “eliminating the need for extensive searching and ultimately saving valuable time.”

Navigation app Waymap, meanwhile, suggested its solution, which guides both indoors and outdoors, would help Santa address challenges in manoeuvring through diverse geographical areas with no signal required, “ensuring a more accurate and efficient delivery process.”

Also pitching to Santa and his elves was Sensor IT, which stretched the proposition slightly by focussing on the 24/7 comfort and wellbeing of the North Pole dwellers all year round, by implementing digital technology to monitor and improve living standards in their homes.

Other IoT technologies Digital Catapult would pitch to help Santa include monitoring sensors on his iconic sleigh to help diagnose issues and guarantee it is in optimal shape for the big night, carbon footprint monitors throughout the toy production process to ensure it is employing sustainable practices, and wearable devices to take care of the health and safety of the elves.

“This thoughtful approach demonstrates a commitment to the welfare of Santa’s hardworking team, contributing to a healthier and happier workforce during the holiday season, and encouraging them to spread some holiday cheer elsewhere,” Digital Catapult wrote in its blog.

Ramona Marfievici, principal engineer for IoT technology at Digital Catapult, added that while the agency usually helps businesses to solve problems with tech innovation, “we realised that with a large workforce, increased demand and operational challenges, Santa could also benefit from emerging IoT technologies, leading to a more seamless and efficient Christmas this year.”

Featured image credited to DALL-E 3