Member Article

Cheshire company's temperature eye-scanner could get Britain back to work

A GADGET that scans the temperature of workers’ eyeballs is set to become the key to businesses reopening post-lockdown.

Thermal fever screening technology supplied by Cheshire-based firm Aspire4 could provide the first line of defence in the battle against Covid-19 as the UK eases restrictions.

The device works by scanning the inner eye - the most accurate guage of the body’s core temperature - and indicating if an employee has a fever, one of the most common symptoms of the virus.

The system, available now, will help employers across the country to allow workers to return by identifying those who are ill and preventing them from infecting colleagues.

Garry Hillman, managing director of Aspire4, said: “As businesses return to work following lockdown, we must ensure that we all play our part in limiting the spread of Covid-19.

“Workplaces cannot simply return to how they were before, there needs to be a big emphasis on keeping staff protected from the virus and the use of technology is a big part of this.

“By harnessing thermal fever technology, we can help businesses get back to work in the confidence that they can identify employees who are showing the symptoms of the virus with a one-second scan.

“The temperature measurement systems are easily installed and operated and can ensure businesses meet their responsibility to provide a safe working space.

“Employees will only return to the workplace when they feel it is safe, so fever detection will play a vital role in getting the country back to work and kick-starting the economy again.”

The device has been developed from thermal imaging technology and has just a 0.3 degree margin of error, making it one of the most accurate on the market.

It scans a worker’s face and produces a traffic light system-style answer, with red forbidding entry to the premises, amber meaning care must be taken and green giving the all-clear.

The camera can be adapted to suit a business’s needs, such as being integrated into an access control system or even one of the firm’s hand sanitizer dispenser units.

It is one of the most advanced fever screening systems on the market that has been endorsed by the International Electrotechnical Commission and the International Organisation for Standardisation, the two industry regulators.

Aspire4, based in Wilmslow, had already been developing an auditing and access control system using this device before the Covid-19 outbreak hit as it was initially intended to help businesses boost productivity by cracking down on false sick days.

Thermal fever screening is set to play a huge part in reopening workplaces, restaurants, bars, leisure facilities and many other industries.

It has already become mandatory in many parts of the world post-lockdown, including Dubai where it is used in shopping malls and hotels.

With no effective vaccine for Covid-19 currently in sight, Mr Hillman believes the technology will be a major help as we learn to live alongside the deadly virus.

He said: “We started work with the technology in late January, but it had been in the planning stages for many months - long before Covid-19 was an issue.

“It was supposed to help identify regular illnesses such as the common cold and sickness bugs that go around, but it works perfectly for viruses too.

“I wanted to tackle the huge problem of unnecessary sick days costing employers vast sums of money and resulting in a frightening lack of productivity.

“It’s clear that as we reopen the country again, we can’t just go back to normal. We will all have to do our bit to keep ourselves and our colleagues, friends and family safe.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Johnny Greaney .