A BED manufacturer has invented a traffic-light system to help retailers manage social distancing.

Harrison Spinks, which has a sustainable forest in Sand Hutton that provides wood for its divans, has teamed up with North Yorkshire driver safety solution company NuVech to launch a traffic barrier system.

The bed firm, which also has a farm near York, to rear sheep and grow natural materials for mattress fillings, created the AirBar-Q with Ripon-based NuVech to ease the burden of social distancing restrictions.

The barrier, which is being tested in a McDonald’s London site, a number of Nisa Local stores and garden centres to automate queuing, has just received £350,000 from Innovate UK.

The product counts customers in and out, allowing the shop manager to monitor numbers within the building, supporting social distancing safety measures during the Covid‐19 pandemic.

The AirBar‐Q’s soft barrier is flexible, so there is no risk of harm, while creating a physical barrier within the doorway. A traffic light system communicates whether customers are able to enter or exit.

Miles Featherstone, commercial director at AirBar‐Q, said: “AirBar‐Q combines the best innovation expertise within both Harrison Spinks and NuVech to tackle the retail and hospitality challenges faced during the Covid‐19 pandemic. With incredible speed we have managed to create a system that allows many industries to operate safely and more efficiently.”

He added: “AirBar‐Q can increase efficiency through accurate monitoring of customer numbers, increasing revenue as staff can return to their revenue generating roles, and avoiding unnecessary close contact with customers.”

The portable systems being tested are remote-controlled units and an automated version, paired with people-counting sensors located above the entrance and exits. The system follows the success of the AirBar, a vehicle‐mounted, retractable safety bar to stop cyclists riding on the nearside of HGVs turning left.