30-04-2020Technology has reached the next level and is gaining immense success in every field. The whole world is suffering from the deadly pandemic of COVID-19. The science fraternity sees no end to it in the near future. Everyone is trying their level best to find a cure for this virus. As of now, taking all precautionary measures is the only way to keep the virus away. The whole world is in lockdown but once, the lockdown is lifted, and people will start rushing out of their house. At such point, technology is sure to come as a savior.
As the cases of coronavirus are increasing rapidly every day, through testing is very crucial. But, there is a shortage of testing kits that arises a need for an alternative way to detect the disease. Normally, a thermometer or a thermal scanner is used to detect the fever. But, the speed of detection is very low, and it can test people one by one. There may also be chances of cross-contamination. In such an instance, the AI-based thermal scanners are found to be beneficial.
Artificial Intelligence or the AI-enabled camera and software system is the latest invention in the field of technology. The camera is said to scan crowds in public places. It will be able to detect the person with an elevated temperature that is one major symptom of COVID. The scanner has the ability to scan a large group at a minimum distance of 20 meters. The person does not even need to stop which makes it a super-fast process. The scanner is capable of scanning about 1000 people per hour. It is a plug and play kit and can be assembled in less than 10 minutes.
The process of making such cameras was started in 2018. Its aim was to detect concealed guns under the clothes by using thermal imaging and computer vision. But, this is found to be more useful in the present situation to detect the person with a raised body temperature. The system is very accurate and detects the body temperature of a person with precision. This may be very helpful in curbing the spread of the deadly virus. This technique was already used successfully during SARS and swine flu epidemics and was proven to be a boon.
The system uses Artificial Intelligence and has the ability to monitor multiple cameras at once. If it detects a person with fever, an alert is immediately sent to the security. The security personnel can then look for the person and can take necessary measures. The system is very beneficial for crowded places like airports, malls, shopping complexes, hospitals, etc. It will help in avoiding the risk to the people who used hand thermal scanners to detect the temperature at various places.
This technology can be used for screening people at a preliminary stage that may be very useful in minimizing the chances of the spread of the disease. It gives real-time detection that makes it easy to detect the person. Till the invention of any vaccine, these hi-tech boons are the only savior in curbing the spread of COVID.