Can body temperature be measured from a distance?

On April 7, 2020

Can body temperature be measured from a distance?

With the concern over people entering premises who may have contracted COVID-19 organizations are looking for technology to help identify people who have possibly been infected. The best indicator at present is body temperature. The challenge is to be able to measure body temperature safely.

New developments in AI and thermal imaging offer a way to measure body temperature to within ≤0.3℃ without anyone having to be within 2 meters of the person being measured.

Technology to the rescue

Thermal imaging can monitor temperature. However, simply using a thermal measuring device on its own would be insufficient. But when connected to a ‘blackbody’ the thermal imaging can be calibrated to read temperatures accurately to within ≤0.3℃.

Temperature measurements can be greatly affected by environmental factors and need to be calibrated in real time. This is done through the blackbody. A ‘blackbody’ is a device that provide a standard temperature source used for temperature calibration.

The result is that a system deploying a thermal camera coupled with a blackbody can be used to detect, remotely, body temperature measurements.

How is it deployed?

The camera and blackbody can be wall or ceiling mounted or even temporarily set up on tripods. The camera is positioned so that as people come through an entrance or are directed through a dedicated area, they come into the effective range of the camera.

This can be at the front door of a premises or a designated area, such as the check-in or security counter at an airport or even inside a tent temporarily setup to guard an entrance to a more open area.

It simply requires AC power and an ethernet connection to a computer.

The computer contains software to manage the setup and configuration of the system and will be used to display the results in real-time on the monitor.

How does it work?

The Thermal camera uses visible light to capture the human face and thermal imaging to monitor body temperature. The two images are overlaid on each other. A face recognition algorithm is used to accurately locate the temperature to the target. The AI facial recognition system places a square box around the face of each person. For those withing the predefined temperature range, the box is green. For those exceeding the pre-defined temperature range, the box is red. In all cases the measure temperature is displayed for each person – in fahrenheit or centigrade.

The person monitoring the system can sit safely at a distance from the people coming through, and can even be placed behind a panel, fully protecting them.

The system can track multiple sources simultaneously – up to 16 – within 30 milliseconds. So it is fast, very fast.

Use cases

There are so many organizations that have to operate even during the COVID-19 lockdown; Hospitals, senior living and long term care, municipalities and any organization providing essential services.

As business starts to move forward again, Schools, Airports, Customs, Stations and more, will all need a fast, effective and safe way to measure temperature as we continue to monitor and control the outbreak.