I wrote and published the following case study which originally appeared as one of Microchip’s web-based Customer Stories during the time I served as Technology Marketing Advisor for the company.
Footfall measurement has become a compelling metric that can be applied across many sales, service and safety disciplines among retailers and building managers. The emerging practice of automatic people counting relies on wireless technology which enables customer-defined barriers and invisible thresholds to be configured. These customizable footprints are used to capture the patterns of visitors in a store, the number of customers in a service line, the groups of patrons in a museum or the volume of travelers in an airport terminal. Beyond simply counting the number of people who pass, like an old metal turnstile, intelligent people-counting solutions can be further empowered with market-specific software applications to improve customer service, optimize staffing, enforce capacity restrictions, record traffic patterns and manage congestion in public venues. The resulting data can even be extended to deliver web-like analytical metrics such as advertising ROI, space layout performance, event comparisons, customer acquisition costs, seasonal attendance patterns and many more.
Transforming Communication into a Three-Dimensional Experience
Richnerstutz AG, a leading IT innovator based in Villmergen, is a family of inventors, advisors, planners, specialists, problem solvers, project managers and implementers. They develop and produce everything that transforms communication into a three-dimensional experience: advertising technology, temporary architecture and tenting, fixtures and fittings for events, trade fairs and shops, outdoor advertising, digital signage and a whole lot more. The company takes great pride in the speed and dexterity with which they keep several balls in the air when managing complex projects, and their ability to surprise clients with imaginative solutions.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Richnerstutz realized the need to help businesses ensure a safe experience for their visitors.
The CountMe® system was designed to monitor the inflow and outflow of visitors in a property to regulate the number of people who can occupy a property at a given point in time. This required the use of several sensors covering the desired zone completely to generate evaluations in real time and stop the inflow automatically in case of overfilling.
The Richnerstutz team needed to adequately power a large number of Xovis 3D sensors installed in multiple sites, including hard-to-reach locations. The fundamental requirement was to limit expenditures and ensure a faster turnaround time.
Taking into consideration the complex technology requirements, Richnerstutz decided to partner with Microchip for PoE. They hand-picked Microchip’s single-port PoE midspan PD-3501G to reliably power the people flow sensors in CountMe Pro solution, leaving the current infrastructure at site location completely unaltered. With plug-and-play installation, the PD-3501G was easy to integrate, reliable and cost effective, implemented leveraging the existing Ethernet infrastructure with no dependency on AC/DC wiring. All of this while providing the assurance of a future proof network.
Microchip’s PD-3501G PoE Midspan
The single-port PoE midspan offers a compact and cost-effective IEEE 802.3af-compliant solution for powering IP phones, WLAN access points, network cameras and other IP terminal devices. The PD-3501G provides reliable power over standard Ethernet cables, leaving existing network infrastructure completely unaltered. With plug-and-play installation, the PD3501G can be seamlessly implemented leveraging the existing Ethernet infrastructure while at the same time providing the assurance of a future proof network.
The high-quality Microchip single-port PoE midspans have largely contributed to smooth installation of CountMe systems with Xovis people flow sensors in thousands of locations worldwide across retail, healthcare and other leisure sectors. Implementing a Microchip Power over Ethernet solution has considerably simplified installation and reduced overhead. Microchip is well-equipped to deliver reliable PoE systems in large volumes in considerably less time, helping us capitalize on customer demand despite COVID-19 restrictions. Microchip is the ideal partner for future proof PoE solutions.
— Serafino Melloni, Chief Innovation Officer, Richnerstutz AG
Compatibility of the Microchip midspans with both the Richnerstutz CountMe Pro system and Xovis PC2R sensors simplified installations, significantly reduced the costs and complexity of technology upgrades and accelerated time-to-market.
Thousands of CountMe Pro systems (including over 3300 Microchip PoE midspans) were installed internationally during 2020. With trouble-free operation at multiple sites including retail stores, shopping centers, resorts, schools, libraries, museums, zoos, casinos, petrol stations and more, Richnerstutz has established itself as a reliable technology vendor that promises not only the highest possible safety but also the best quality.
A specialized technology stack is beginning to form around Physical AI. At Actuate 2026, developers got a close look at its emerging data, simulation, training, observability, compute and teleoperation layers, offering a glimpse of an ecosystem being assembled in real time.
The firms that rewired the digital world now aim to transform the physical one. And just as they did with digital transformation, the consulting giants are positioning themselves to support this next era of enterprise reinvention.