2020 will be known in history as the year of the Coronavirus (COVID19) that killed thousands of people and as most of the world have declared states of emergency and have taken measures such as social distance attempting to reduce the spread of this disease. It is therefore obvious that with today’s technology there will be products available to us to give early detection of people entering buildings and/or public spaces who are exhibiting symptoms of the virus. This detection is achieved by combining the latest CCTV and thermal temperature measurement technology.
One such company that has such a product solution is Dahua Technology so we talk to Simon Nash, Senior Project Manager, regarding the latest innovation his company has offered. We were made aware that Simon has been presenting his product to a number of end users so thought we would go and have a chat about why the solution is so popular and how it is helping prevent the spread of this deadly virus.
Dahua Technology is a world-leading video-centric smart AIoT solution and service provider and has been an early participant in the epidemic prevention and control in Asia, joining the global efforts in combating the virus to minimize the impact on mankind. Since sending its first batch of thermal cameras to the hardest-hit area Wuhan on January 24th, Dahua thermal solution has been deployed in thousands of sites in China and around the world including many in the UK, including critical transportation hubs, commercial complexes, banks, and other public places.
Simon said: “When first talking to a customer about our solution, I always start by asking them if they agree that prevention is better than cure? What I mean by this is that it’s far better to prevent somebody who is exhibiting symptoms that he could have a virus into a building rather than let him enter and spread the virus to many more people. Therefore, we encourage customers to invest in our primary screening solution as a first layer of Defense.
Simply put, the Dahua body temperature measurement solution is capable of automatically detecting if a person entering a building has a higher-than-normal body temperature. This could be an indication they are carrying a virus and should be checked by a medical professional.
The current process employed by many companies is using a handheld infrared thermometer to measure temperature. The problem with doing this is that you have to get very close to a person who is potentially infected and therefore the risk of virus being transferred is very high. It also takes a very long time to process many people entering the building.
We have just installed our solution at a large corporate customer near Reading. Until recently, they were manually measuring more than 1,000 people per day. This not only represented a significant risk to the people doing the measuring, but also was incredibly time-consuming.
The solution we installed on site is automated and non-contact, which alleviates the need for people to manually measure the temperature of staff entering the building.
This means it’s faster, highly accurate and able to measure the temperature of a group of people at a time. It’s also possible, if required to record the temperature alongside a thumbnail of the subjects face. If the customer requires, the system can be configured to produce detailed records and reporting of screening data.
Whenever considering the use of thermal measurement technology for this type of application, the most important factor is accuracy. There are many international measurement standards – however Dahua Thermal Solution meets the strict requirement of +/-0.3℃ which is certified internationally for measuring human skin temperature. Other systems may available, but these do not meet the accuracy requirements for human temperature measurement without the use of a black body, and are therefore not suited to this application.
If you wanted to measure the temperature of 5,000 people, it will take about 4.2 hours using a forehead thermometer, as it takes at least three seconds to measure a person. However, it takes only 30 minutes if you use Dahua Thermal Solution, which measures three people per second. It also features a high accuracy of ±0.3℃ .
Simon explained that ‘we achieve this high level of accuracy with our latest dual head thermal imaging camera, a highly advanced algorithm and with the use of a “blackbody” unit in the field of view or near the area where people are being measured; this gives the system a reference point to establish an accurate temperature measurement’.
Simon said: “Dahua Thermal Solution has already helped on one site to detect suspected cases in just a few days of operation, which was greatly appreciated by the customer thus reducing the risk to that company and to the wider society of a further outbreak and spread of the virus.”
Deployed at an airport in China earlier this year, the system detected 101 people with an abnormal temperature trying to enter the airport. As a result, all were medically tested. Of these detections, 60 were found to have COVID-19. “All were treated and made a full recovery. Can you imagine how many other people could have been infected if they had entered the airport?
“The Thermal Solution has been on the front line since the very beginning of the global pandemic, helping to prevent the spread in airports, railway stations, hospitals, schools, and other sites. Featuring high accuracy, high efficiency, strong adaptability and easy deployment, our Thermal Solution can also be applied to all kinds of entrances and exits, border control and schools.”
Simon said they have demo kits available and are very confident the product works that they will prove that to anyone who wants to put them to the test.
In summary the system not only comprises of the high accuracy in the industry, but it is also highly efficient in the sense that we can measure a group of people at the same time. The system is safe and hygienic as it becomes possible to measure the temperature in a contactless way at a distance of 3 m. The system can be rapidly deployed and moved from location to location within the building as well as being able to detect if a person is wearing a facemask. In terms of recording options, the system offers flexible options so the video can either be presented live with or it could be recorded with thumbnails of the persons face.
We are constantly working to support our distribution and system integration partners to support them with the supply and installation of these systems. This is not only in terms of installation support, but also by providing them with essential health and safety guidelines to ensure they are working in a safe way and don’t become infected. Where necessary, we will also supply PPE for the installer.
As a final note, once we are past the peak of the infection and the Government has started to relax the isolation rules re-opening shops, pubs and restaurants. As normality returns, Simon explained that it is critical to prevent any re-occurrence.
“Installing our solution, will not only aid early detection preventing the spread of the pandemic but also preventing re-occurrence infecting people again and starting another round of illness in the future, proving the point that prevention is better than cure.”
Webinars explain more about the solution; register at; https://www.dahuasecurity.com/Webinar
Or, contact Dahua UK on 01628 613500 or a distribution partner at; www.dahuasecurity.com/uk
