As businesses reopen, some look to thermal camera that can read body temperatures
As businesses making plans for reopening, some are looking to use a thermal camera, which can read temperatures of people entering a building at a quicker pace than individual thermometers.
In the future going into any building could require some type of medical check for coronavirus. With one company's thermal camera you can check people's temperatures almost instantly.
"In order to open up businesses it's recommended that we find a way to take people's temperatures to see if they're elevated," says Bill Parrish, chief technical officer of Seek Thermal.
Santa Barbara-based Seek Thermal developed the portable system, which can be installed in lobbies, hallways or entrances to concert and sporting events. A person stops in front of the camera, it then detects your face and gives a readout of your temperature in seconds.
"The initial calls were from hospitals," Parrish says. "They wanted to get their staff back in the building, and if you have about 50 people on the staff and they have to walk in with a thermometer on each person it took them a long time."
The company has built thermal cameras for years. Many are used by firefighters because they can alert them to hot spots faster and see through smoke.
These thermal cameras are different from the ones used for other industries. They have to measure temperatures precisely and accurately since the difference between a person testing normal or having a fever is only a few degrees.
Parrish says it uses "a temperature reference that the camera looks at and then compares that with your body and it can figure out if you're above or below and it very closely pins your temperature."
The company says it is getting thousands of orders as businesses try to make sure people feel safe as they start to reopen.
