As businesses start to open and staff and customers ease out of lock down, businesses are looking at ways to help staff and customers feel safe from the Coronavirus.

With retailers putting up screens and using safe distance stickers and banners, many more businesses are turning to technology to put further measures in place. Not only to keep people safe but to detect those that may be carrying the virus.

British astronaut Tim Peake recently joined The BBC One Show as a reporter and in one of his reports he highlighted some of the technology being used. This will not only help people feel safe, but could speed up the the process of coming out of lockdown as well as put preventative measure in place against further threats.

Some of this technology is already being used by airports, factories and constructions sites, however there are lower cost solutions for smaller retailers, leisure centres and could even be used in gyms, therapy rooms and spas.

Thermal screening for fever detection

The technology is infrared temperature screening cameras. These cameras use advanced software to precisely measure skin temperature. A reading of 38 degrees or more is a good indication that someone has a fever. This thermal screening system would monitor a continuous flow of people entering a premises.

Systems like ActionCam’s Thermal Screening System continually detects up to 30 concurrent thermal head scans to an accuracy of ±0.5 degrees registering every scan within one second.

Their thermal screening system has integrated audio and visual alarms, which overcomes the need for a dedicated member of staff, making it ideal for a small or large business.

Over the coming months business owners and HR departments will need to ensure that bringing staff back into the business considers the health & wellbeing of their staff. Not just now but to prevent a lockdown situation happening again in the future.

Proximity sensors

Another idea is a proximity sensor. An electronic sensor that can detect the presence of objects within its vicinity without any actual physical contact. In order to sense objects, the proximity sensor radiates or emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation, usually in the form of infrared light, and senses the reflection in order to determine the object’s proximity or distance from the sensor. Companies like construction sites have been trialling this technology but would this also be used for gyms and health centres?

Using AI technology

Facial recognition technology that has previously been used for door entry systems has now been adapted to recognise faces wearing masks. Using AI technology the system could help those businesses where wearing a mask is important and could also remind staff to wear their mask before allowing entry.

These are just a few of the ideas being implemented into businesses and this is just the beginning. With tech companies looking at apps, AI, tracking and heat detection our future businesses will look very different in the not to distance future.