What You Need to Know: How Temperature Screening Works
For temperature screening, the two main technologies that universities and colleges will likely use are thermal cameras and medical-grade thermometers.
Keep in mind that thermal cameras by themselves cannot detect fevers. This is because thermal imaging is an imprecise method that cannot measure inner body temperature. With that said, thermal cameras are useful for prescreening. After a thermal camera determines someone’s skin temperature is unusually high, a medical-grade thermometer can confirm if that individual has a fever. These can be traditional oral thermometers or no-contact infrared devices.
“We see the thermal camera as the initial screening, for processing people as they enter a building. These devices don’t detect fever, they just measure that surface skin temperature,” says Peter Frank, an education product manager at Ergotron. “But they can offer a quicker way to return to school versus having to temperature-check every individual as they enter the facility.”
To get a reliable surface reading, most thermal cameras must calibrate against a “black body,” which is an accessory that is usually sold with the camera. The camera indicates the difference between the subject’s and the black body’s predetermined temperature.
Not all thermal cameras require a black body, however. FLIR Systems, for instance, offers a self-calibrating version of its temperature scanner. “Our camera is stable and accurate enough to function despite all these different environmental factors,” says Chris Bainter, director of global business development at FLIR.
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