Infrared screening of elevated body temperature against COVID-19
Thermal screening of people
Thermal screening of people by means of infrared cameras offers a number of advantages:
- You can quickly screen large groups of people; tens to hundreds per hour;
- The technology can be easily integrated into public spaces and pedestrian flows, provided that a separate screening zone is available;
- There is a safe distance between observer and screened person;
- Provided the screening zone is set up correctly and the working method is correct, you can achieve good filtering and efficiently identify people with an indication of elevated body temperature.
This is a valuable technology for containment of the Covid-19 pandemic. An elevated body temperature can be one of the first symptoms of the virus breaking through. By using such systems at entrance doors of public buildings or companies, we help to contain the spread of the virus.
In addition, hospitals can use the technology for rapid triage of incoming patients.
Flanders Make set up this initiative itself and works together with the thermographic experts of the Op3Mech labo of UAntwerp for the development of smart algorithms. How we approach this concretely is further described below.
Role of Flanders Make?
Flanders Make deploys a number of researchers to find answers to questions such as:
- Where on the body and how often do we measure the temperature to achieve good screening?
- How long does the patient need to acclimatize before the measurement?
- Is the use of a blackbody necessary (as a reference temperature)?
- How can we use smart algorithms and correct statistics to increase the effectiveness of the screening, as well as make it useful and robust in a public and industrial context?
By doing further research on this, the usability of these systems will improve and we will contribute to contain this pandemic. In addition, we are in discussion with companies that are interested in using the solution or can help roll it out.
