The coronavirus COVID19 pandemic is the most disruptive event in modern times. If having folks dying isn’t bad enough, governments have stopped the the economy and forced businesses to shut down to prevent the spread of the virus.
As we enter the new ‘COVID normal’, we hopefully will start seeing businesses reopening before the virus is under control. This of course has governments and people alike understandably worried. If you are a business owner you are probably wanting at ways to reopen whilst managing the risk that COVID presents.
At Miotechnic we specialise in the most innovative products in security, offering a range of solutions that can help businesses. One such solution that can assist with COVID is thermal or fever-screen cameras that can be used for temperature screening of staff and visitors. We specialise in these cameras and have vast experience in designing and installing these systems.
So what is thermal imaging?
Thermal imaging is a type of camera imaging that allows you to see the heat of an object as it radiates off the object. Thermal cameras can be used to record the temperature of various objects in the frame. It assigns each temperature a certain shade of a color. This lets you see how much heat it has compared to the objects around it.
Colder temperatures normally show a shade of purple, blue, or green. In addition, warmer temperatures show shades of red, yellow, or orange. Because of this, the person or object with hotter temperatures will stand out because of the differences in colors. Some thermal cameras may use grayscale instead. Most police helicopters use grayscale, so the suspects stand out more.
How does thermal screening work?
Thermal imaging cameras detect an individual’s skin surface temperature in a matter of nano-seconds, making it possible to screen very large numbers at a time as people move through an area. Also, because they feature contactless temperature measurement, the cameras are compliant with social distancing guidelines.
We need to point out that thermal camera’s do not detect if a person has COVID-19 or any other virus or illness – Thermal imaging detects fevers that can lead to possible COVID-19 infections. While this can help reduce community spread, it cannot screen for the virus or antibodies.
Fever screening cameras are simple to operate and various options are available to suit specific location types and requirements. From handheld models that display on-screen results, through to smart systems consisting of remote cameras connected to a mobile app, right up to hard-wired fixed cameras linked to an operator station, the choice is extensive.
If the camera detects a person with a high temperature, it will set off an alarm to alert the someone. It will identify the person with a high temperature and they can then be separated from other people at the location. The alerted person can then give the ‘high temperature’ person a second temperature screening or advise the individual to visit a doctor.
These systems are accurate and you do not have to worry about them being thrown off by heat signatures from other sources. With this technology, the system is designed to recognise human faces and it only reads the temperature of people. You can also have the system display a regular optical image or a thermal image with a heat signature. It will also post the temperature on the screen so it is easy to see the temperature of different individuals.
The hallmark of a good security system is that all of its elements integrate together. This is true with thermal cameras; thermal scanners can be installed to communicate with your existing security CCTV system.
For a business that doesn’t have the resources to devote a person to monitoring a thermal camera all day, thermal cameras have the ability to send notification alerts when a high temperature is detected. Most systems can also sound an audible alarm as well as send a text or email message to specific individuals when someone enters with elevated body temperature.
Thermal cameras for businesses are finding their ways into a wide variety of industries anywhere that large groups of people work or do business. As they begin to appear in an ever-growing number of places, the question is largely shifting from “Is a thermal camera right for my business?” to “What type of thermal camera is right for my business?”
Below are a list of the industries and location that should consider installing thermal cameras for a temperature screening system:
- Airports
- Factories
- Bus stations
- Retail locations
- Hospitals
- Shopping Centres
- Office buildings
- Schools
- Event centres
At Miotechnic, we have a strong history of experience, innovation, and customer service. On the cutting edge of security we offer an extensive range of intelligently manufactured and innovative products to accommodate all manner of security camera installation needs.