MARKHAM, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In response to Canada’s COVID-19 Call to Action, AIH Technology applied its computer vision expertise to develop intelligent solutions for fever screening and automated mask-wearing policy enforcement. The project R&D is supported by Dr. Ban’s Research Laboratory at the University of Waterloo, with funding support from NSERC Canada.
Today, AIH announced the official launch of Monitio Intelligence with the aim to help communities reopen safely and recover from the impact of COVID-19.
About fever screening programs
Learning from past infectious disease epidemics taking place in Asian countries, including SARS-CoV, H1N1 and Dengue Virus, efforts in conducting large-scale body temperature screening at public venues (i.e. airports) have shown to be effective in helping control the spread of infectious outbreaks.
Public Health Canada has recommended Canadians to self-isolate if they are experiencing fever, regardless of the cause. In the screening recommendations provided by Public Health Ontario to long-term care and retirement homes, visitors are asked to disclose their fever symptoms. For healthcare administrators, retailers, and employers, fever screening can be an effective way, amongst many other safety measures, to protect the communities against infectious disease.
Core technology: artificial intelligence-enabled infrared sensing
Traditional thermal-imaging cameras were designed for military imaging purposes by presenting the temperature difference between heat-emitting targets and the environment (i.e. delta temperature). Thermal-imaging cameras are inherently incapable of yielding absolute temperature reading without calibration using a blackbody reference source by trained technicians, which adds significant operational complexity and costs to community fever screening programs.
Monitio Intelligence technology platform represents a significant leap over traditional thermal-imaging technologies. Its plug-n-play multi-sensor system measures absolute temperature from human foreheads, delivering much more accurate and precise temperature measurements on moving crowds of people, without the need of blackbody reference calibration. The system also automates enforcement of mask-wearing policy, as a part of a comprehensive infection control management strategy.
About AIH Technology
Headquartered in Markham, Ontario, AIH’s aims to apply its expertise in computer vision to automate various traditionally labour-intensive tasks in healthcare, finance, community safety, etc. Through partnerships with leading technology platforms like IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure, AIH is committed to the ethical and responsible application of its advanced artificial intelligence platform and help communities save time, save money, and save lives.
