Thermal Security Cameras for Corona Virus

Turkey

In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is using the powers of thermal cameras for coronavirus in public to keep people who have fevers away. After the first case of coronavirus had been confirmed in Turkey they put this in place. On March 5th, staffers monitoring the crowds around Erdogan used thermal cameras that pick up body heat and can detect fevers. With the aid of the thermal cameras, they scanned journalists and politicians who surrounded the Turkish leader. This was when he arrived in parliament the day the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Turkey. Turkish media reported that this practice would continue. A presidential official said that the thermal cameras would be used in future public appearances. This is to protect Erdogan and limit his exposure to the virus.

China

In China, they are using thermal cameras and sensors to screen people at airports more efficiently. In addition, using infrared sensors as heat scanners with camera systems won’t confirm the presence of the virus, but it can determine if a person is at risk. They do this by detecting the passenger’s body temperature at the port of entry. It can reveal information with a visioning system that includes a camera and a display. If the sensor shows that a person has a high temperature, it can be cause for concern. Further testing and observation are done on these patients.

Japan

Japan has developed a system for “Body Surface Temperature Screening with Alarm Function.” It was designed to detect a flu-related fever at airports. Also, it works by taking a visual image, thermal image, and an isothermal image to compare temperatures. The images produced show which passenger is emitting a higher temperature. In addition, this allows screeners to isolate them from other passengers quickly. This has lately been applied to screen for coronavirus.

Thermal Cameras in Airports

Since previously outbreaks, such as Ebola, airports have adopted stricter policies for screening. However, not every airport uses heat scanners on a daily basis. When there are virus outbreaks, thermal cameras for coronavirus can be a useful tool. In addition, they are safe to use as they do not emit any hazardous radiation that can affect human health. AI software can assist screening. This provides a way to help screeners identify at-risk passengers. These cameras do not detect the virus. They only detect high temperatures in passengers, which shows signs of fevers. Fevers are a strong indication of a viral infection. It is good to detect this early. Since these cameras are contactless, it reduces the risk of the screeners coming into contact with the virus. It has proven to be an effective way of screening that provides a level of safety.

Infrared Light

Heat projects from the body in infrared light. You cannot see it with the naked eye because it emits light at a different wavelength. On the electromagnetic spectrum, there is a wide range of frequencies from low-frequency radio waves up to high-frequency gamma rays. The more heat a body radiates, the more infrared light that can be detected. The sensors in thermal cameras for coronavirus detect the amount of heat in someone’s body by its color.

The color is not how it would appear in visible light. It is to identify the temperature of the body. Also, computer algorithms generate a color palette that represents the scale in temperature. Higher temperatures show up as a different color to lower temperatures. In addition, developers created a color palette for average temperatures (98-100 degrees Fahrenheit). For temperatures higher than this, having a different color will alert the screeners. When a passenger has a temperature higher than 98.6 Fahrenheit, it will flash red. This allows screeners to separate those passengers for additional screening. This is also much quicker than testing everyone with a thermometer.

Thermal Cameras

The device that makes this possible is thermographic cameras. To use this feature, you will have to buy an actual thermographic camera. Instead of a 400-700 nm (nanometer) range of light, thermographic cameras are sensitive to wavelengths from 1,000 nm to about 14,000 nm. However, these cameras are not widely available at retail stores. You have to buy them at specialty electronic stores or from online outlets. They typically used for industrial, research, scientific, and law enforcement purposes. Cameras that are available to consumers are infrared cameras, which are a type of thermographic cameras. In addition, they connect to your smartphone via a USB connection (micro USB or USB-C) using iOS or Android for operation.