Digital Signage Solutions Shop Develops COVID-19 Screening Device That Skips Screen

August 14, 2020 by Dave Haynes

A Knoxville, TN digital signage solutions provider is taking a very different approach to pandemic-driven temperature screening for business by using a BrightSign media playout box, but skipping the screen.

EonDigital has started marketing a temperature screening solution, called ExoMetrics Wrist, that is meant to be a hands-free, totally anonymous alternative to the many camera-based solutions that have come on the market as the pandemic set in. The process instead reads the temperature at a person’s wrist.

The freestanding device has BrightSign HD1024 player inside that handles the processing and triggers simple red, amber and green lights, and audio messaging/alerts.

Says BrightSign in its PR:

This innovative new solution quickly achieves highly accurate temperature measurements by taking hundreds of temperature readings in just a matter of seconds. This hands-free solution all but eliminates false positive readings and enables businesses to safely screen patrons with minimal disruption.

“EonDigital’s unique approach to touch-free temperature screening is precisely the sort of forward thinking we need to squarely address the challenges associated with safe business operation during this pandemic,” says BrightSign CEO Jeff Hastings. “It’s gratifying to see the many ways companies like EonDigital are adapting BrightSign’s technology to bring their innovative solutions to market.”

Temperature checks have become an essential part of businesses re-opening in the wake of COVID-19. Common temperature-screening methods either rely on hand-held devices that pose a viral transmission risk, or hands-free solutions that work effectively only when used properly by the patron or customer. ExoMetrics Wrist overcomes these challenges with its unique design and engineering.

While most temperature screening devices use the forehead as the point of measurement, EonDigital’s new device focuses on the wrist, an area of the body that is less likely to produce an artificially high reading due to physical exertion or environmental conditions.

Not only does the wrist yield a more accurate reading, ExoMetrics Wrist actually takes approximately 300 readings in just a few seconds, yielding a temperature measurement accurate within .5 degrees Celsius. ExoMetrics Wrist also takes advantage of a powerful algorithm that processes recent readings to identify environmental trends, further reducing the likelihood of false positive readings.

“We conducted extensive research to isolate the most common shortcomings of conventional temperature screening devices, and we designed ExoMetrics Wrist to specifically address those challenges,” says EonDigital co-founder Chris Dotson. “Not only does measuring one’s wrist enable us to render a more accurate temperature reading, but there are also ergonomic advantages to our design that make the device suitable for a broader population.”

ExoMetrics Wrist sits at a comfortable height that is suitable for use by children and adults alike. Similarly, the device is within easy reach of people who may be seated in a wheelchair or other assisted mobility device. This broad accessibility suits ExoMetrics Wrist particularly well not just to businesses and retail environments, but also to airports, theaters, and other entertainment venues that attract a diverse crowd of all ages.

EonDigital’s more conventional digital signage business is built around BrightSign’s boxes and supporting software, so using the little purple boxes was logical, as long as needs and capabilities sync’d up.

There are a couple of obvious benefits to this approach:

1 – if a venue uses hand-held forehead temperature readers, staffing costs pile up;

2 – if a camera is used, doing thermal readings, it can be slow, prone to inaccuracy, and upset/alienate people concerned about being tracked and their photo archived (which in most cases does not happen).

I think a screen associated with these things would be hugely helpful in explaining to people what to do, and confirming their green status to go inside or through an access gate. But screens add cost and complexity, and if you are doing these things at scale, the extra few hundred for one screen aggregates to a big number when there are hundreds.

This would present far less of an issue for workplaces or things like mass transport hubs that the same people pass through everyday. Training and in-person demos would be needed at first, but people would “get” the idea and process quickly.

As for using a box that exists tp play out videos, using it for different purposes isa hop more than a leap. BrightSign’s CPU clock rate is over 1GHz and has 12G of onboard RAM, providing enough speed and processing power for temperature scanning as well as additional digital displays or network integration into your existing membership or employee databases.

 

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