NSTDA with NECTEC and Rajavithi Hospital have developed remote temperature taking computer software. Processing pictures from an infrared camera, the software immediately identifies a patient with a high temperature from all the other patients who walk in. An advantage is that the medical personnel can differentiate patients especially
in times of respiratory epidemic spreads such as SARS, swine flu or influenza. The software can also help in fieldwork such as at airports and bus terminals.
The software applies the general ability of an infrared camera to detect body heat and a face temperature censor. From a distance of 1-2 meters, the censor displays a patient’s face in different colours according to their temperature. Should a patient’s temperature be higher than the preset value, the software plays an alarm sound. This system can also exclude environmental variables such as room temperature, dust, and the variables in the surroundings before processing the data to correctly identify which patient has a temperature higher than normal and needs to be quarantined. Using only 0.03 seconds to classify each patient, the software can help to handle several patients at once.