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Mercury rising to the Covid-19 challenge with fever-screening cameras

Mercury has invested heavily in thermal screening technology that will detect if someone is suffering from a fever in just under a second
Mercury has invested heavily in thermal screening technology that will detect if someone is suffering from a fever in just under a second Mercury has invested heavily in thermal screening technology that will detect if someone is suffering from a fever in just under a second

A LISBURN company made a significant investment in thermal screening technology it claims will detect - in just one second - if someone is suffering from a fever.

Mercury Security & Facilities Management says its latest discovery is a camera that produces thermal images to enable the speedy detection of a high body temperature which may indicate the presence of a fever - one of the first vital symptoms displayed by carriers of coronavirus.

Among the key features of the TC-1 camera, it can detect an elevated temperature in just under a second, allowing large numbers of people to be screened at one time.

And from a social distancing perspective, the camera can measure body temperature from a distance of 1.5 to 2 metres – thus avoiding unnecessary physical contact.

Once installed, users can set the desired temperature level which, if exceeded, will trigger an audio and/or visual alert to notify the operator.

Subjects simply walk through the field of view together and the camera will scan them without impeding their passage in any way.

It is believed the technology could prove useful for any organisations or venues with significant numbers of staff or visitors, including hospitals and health centres, supermarkets and shopping malls, factories and large offices.

Mercury is Ireland’s largest independent security provider and facilities management company, with a history of introducing pioneering technology to help local businesses protect their staff, customers and property.

Its chief executive Frank Cullen said: “In the battle against Covid-19, the quick and early detection of symptoms such as a high temperature can help save lives and minimise the spread of this deadly virus.

“From the outset of this terrible pandemic, we’ve been researching the latest global technology to see if we could find something that would be helpful to organisations, and the Mercury TC-1, a cost-effective thermal camera, could prove a vital tool in that fight.”