Thermovision temperature measurement

Article about our solution

Time since march 2020 have been challenging for shopping centers and their tenants. Two long closures, volume restrictions, disinfection and mask requirements, have permanently introduced many new terms into the everyday vocabulary. The DDM rule (disinfect, distance, mask) no longer needs to be explained to anyone. Everything seems to indicate that the pandemic will stay with us for much longer than it already has. 

Managers of shopping malls rightly assume that providing customers with a sense of epidemiological safety is the top priority. This condition is actually the first step in returning to the new reality, and everyone agrees that nothing will be like it used to be; neither retail, nor entertainment, nor dining.

The management of one of the big shopping malls goes one step further. A kit for automatic temperature measurement with a thermal imaging camera is being tested. The device also detects a properly worn mask. The installation is very popular among passing customers. For the time of the tests the measuring set was installed at one of the most frequented entrances, through which several thousand people a day pass. 

How does it work?

The camera is installed in such a way as to encompass the pedestrian route, monitoring the passers-by at all times. Thanks to a calibrator placed in the field of view it is able to measure temperature of the person passing by, and thanks to face detection algorithms it recognizes if the person is wearing a mask correctly. The analysis is performed on the spot in the measuring device and the result is displayed immediately on a monitor next to the camera.

The customers see the information about the measurement on the monitor and a moment later the results are displayed. If the temperature is correct and the mask covers the nose and mouth, the system will confirm both correct values. In the case of an uncovered nose or mouth, the board will prompt the user to put the mask on correctly. If a fever is detected, a warning and possibly a request to leave the building is displayed. At the same time, information about a person with a fever (over 38.5C) is transmitted to the security office. 

At the moment, security has no authority to intervene in the case of a visitor with a fever, but the legal status may change in the coming months, and the detection tool is already ready.

How are customers receiving it?

There is a lot of interest in the installation – there are instances of people coming back and passing in front of the camera again to see their reading. When asked for their feedback, customers are full of appreciation for the facility’s efforts, seeing it as a concern for the health of visitors. The information about their own temperature, given non-invasively is an added value for them. Sometimes the customer is not aware of the subfebrile state or fever, and thanks to the measurement can go to the doctor in advance. 

Information about the mask is also valuable – its absence often results from absent-mindedness, and a reminder allows to avoid possible liability in case of an encounter with the police or municipal police. 

Where did this idea come from?

Back at the beginning of May 2020, in the draft regulation opening shopping malls after a two-month break in operation, there was a provision stating the obligation to install thermal imaging cameras at each open entrance to the shopping center. This provision disappeared from the final version of the regulation, but the idea of such a counteraction to the pandemic remained in the minds of those in power. 

Rumor has it that, although not required by the regulation, introduction of automatic thermovision temperature control can, by way of individual decision of authority, increase the permissible number of people in a building secured in this way. 

Innovation made in Europe

European company RiiG Ai, well known on the market of both shopping centers and office buildings manufacturer of visitor counting systems and parking occupancy systems, after receiving dozens of inquiries about the possibility of a quick installation of thermal imaging cameras at the entrances, in connection with the draft regulation in May 2020; started development and research work on an optimal solution.

RiiG Ai team (led by well-known Polish innovator, Mr. Michal Motowidlo) in the construction of the new device used another original product of their company – a camera for gender and age recognition. This device, which works on the basis of deep neural networks (artificial intelligence level 3), can detect the face and perform a quick analysis on the age and gender of the person passing by. 

How does our camera work?

The standard analytical camera, manufactured entirely by RiiG Ai in European Union, has been retrofitted with a thermal sensor from the renowned American company FLIR, manufactured in the USA. With this combination, the camera overlays two images, accurately detecting the forehead for temperature measurement and the mouth and nose for mask inspection.

The second step was to build an accurate calibrator. Unlike others on the market, this one operates under the control of a camera making the measurement. Thanks to the wireless protocol tried and tested in other devices of the company, the camera controls the calibrator, regulates its temperature and most importantly, takes a radio readout of the temperature given by the calibrator. Such a solution allows to measure the temperature of a passing person’s forehead with an accuracy of 0.2C in less than one second, and to display the information that “all is well” on the information board.

Who will use such a solution?

When designing its state-of-the-art camera, RiiG Ai acted with the retail market, office facilities and healthcare in mind. The system has been designed in a modular way: from the simplest solution – monitoring a single entrance for employees, through wide entrances with crowds of customers, to thermal imaging monitoring of entire buildings – entrances, arcades and waiting rooms. Readings can be stored on dedicated servers serving up to 40 devices in a building. 

If the building’s privacy policy allows, the system can record each measurement along with the time marker, device number and also a photo of the person. If necessary, photos of the same person from the entire archived period can be retrieved. This is especially useful in access-controlled buildings when you need to quickly analyze when and with whom a specific employee may have had contact.

For every budget

Sometimes, setting CAPEX for a year and a half ahead, it is difficult to foresee the need to arm a building with a comprehensive thermal imaging prevention system due to a pandemic outbreak, although such a solution turns out to be very necessary. RiiG Ai, using several financial instruments, has prepared an offer that allows the almost investment-free installation of its equipment in any building. This, of course, entails a long-term commitment, but one that is accounted for by current revenues. It is worth noting that the company gives a 60-month warranty for its products and maintains a very efficient service network throughout the European Union.