A lecturer team from Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering UGM developed a body temperature measurement device using a face scanner (thermal imaging).
“This device will measure the thermal/heat emission radiated by the object (human) in front of it. Aside from the body temperature measurement feature, this device is also equipped with face recognition and mask use features,” said Dr. Igi Ardiyanto as a team of thermal imaging developers on Thursday (6/25).
Addyn Suwastono, M. Eng., and Dr. Eka Firmansyah, who are also the team members, said using this device, the body temperature can be measured without touching or getting closer to the object physically. It can detect body temperature within 2 meters in front of the device.
Igi said the utilization of thermal scanners commonly has to be at a close distance. Meanwhile, the community has to keep distance with a minimum range of 1 meter to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Therefore, he and his team tried to innovate a body temperature measurement device for detecting temperature within a safe distance to minimize virus transmission.
Thermal imaging consists of several components, including a thermal camera and the embedded PC, speaker, and gate. This device works by measuring body temperature based on the object’s thermal radiation, scanning the face, and wearing a mask. Furthermore, the data obtained will be processed by the embedded PC, and the final result in the form of sound will come out through the speakers.
“So, the output will be in the form of sound. For example, the sound will be ‘sorry your body temperature exceeds normal limits’. If all the criteria are met, then the sound will be ‘access received, please enter’, and the gate is open”, he explained.
He added that the thermal imaging is equipped with a camera with a resolution of 160 pixels, allowing it to accurately and quickly measure body temperature. Igi explained that the device can be adjusted not only to recognize faces. However, this device can also detect the use of masks. If an object is detected that is not wearing a mask, access to the room will be immediately denied.
Igi mentioned this device’s development to enter a new normal order, especially at the UGM campus. This device is expected to help measure body temperature as a part of efforts to prevent Covid-19 transmission in the campus environment. As is known, the use of a thermal gun has become a procedure for measuring the body temperature of people who will enter a room.
The prototype developed in early June 2020 had been applied at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Faculty of Engineering UGM. This device will also be used at several points in the UGM campus.
“Currently, we are in the process of making five more units. The problem is that there is a very difficult component to find in large numbers, namely the thermal camera, which is currently being sought after by various parties,” he said.
