Spotlight
AI Thermal Image Body Temperature Detection Technology for COVID-19
ITRI’s Thermal Image Body Temperature Detection Technology now integrates color cameras and thermal imaging sensors.
ITRI is committed to developing epidemic prevention technology amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of its Thermal Image Body Temperature Detection Technology together with AI and infrared thermal image color displays enables the detection of forehead temperatures for multiple individuals concurrently. Supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), this R&D result offers a non-contact, high-precision, full-color detection solution that can improve contact tracing and thus contain the spread of COVID-19.
Since April 2020 when the Thermal Image Body Temperature Detection Technology was first unveiled, ITRI has been helping various sectors install hundreds of systems for temperature screening upon entrance to the facilities, including at the MOEA, the Examination Yuan, the Kaohsiung City Government, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, and many other locations. This year, entry and exit controls have been added into the design of these systems, paving the way for even more comprehensive monitoring mechanisms.
Unlike most thermal imaging cameras, ITRI’s technology can provide and store full color images.
According to the survey by the Business Research Company, the demand for infrared thermometers has soared due to the COVID-19 pandemic—the market for these devices has reached US$17.82 million, a rise of over 55% compared to 2019. Dr. Chun-Hsun Chu, General Director of ITRI's Smart Microsystems Technology Center, emphasized that unlike most thermal imaging cameras that offer only a single-color image, ITRI’s new generation technology is innovative in integrating color cameras and thermal imaging sensors to store color images of people with elevated body temperatures. This aids in follow-up contact tracing, he added.
The new feature of color imagery greatly improves entry and exit controls, addressing the needs of government agencies and private companies that have large numbers of people passing through their doors. In practice, ITRI has helped TSMC integrate the body temperature detection system with the company’s employee ID data for the access control at its Hsinchu facility. This also meets the requirements of the real-name system by the Central Epidemic Command Center, while reducing monitoring time and manpower needs by over two-thirds compared to manual temperature measurement.
ITRI’s Thermal Image Body Temperature Detection Technology combines AI to enable automated detection of forehead temperatures, avoiding errors caused by interference from other heat sources. Temperature compensation technology is utilized in conjunction with the Internet of Things (IoT) to sense the distance between detection device and heat source, along with ambient temperature and humidity levels. The system then compensates and calibrates the data detected, and dynamically uploads daily temperature information of the individual, along with ambient data to a database. Indoor and outdoor measurement errors can be maintained within a range of +/- 0.3 degrees Celsius, offering an accuracy of up to 90%.
The improved Thermal Image Body Temperature Detection Technology features non-contact high-precision detection capabilities.
Some companies have pointed out that they introduced temperature detection devices using ITRI’s Thermal Image Body Temperature Detection Technology since the beginning of the year, with the equipment exhibiting a high degree of stability. This has effectively alleviated the need for handheld temperature measurement equipment, while improving accuracy and speed. This also means a reduction in unnecessary contact among frontline workers, thereby increasing safety in the workplace.