Temperature Checking Kiosks: Everything You Need to Know

The only thing that seems to benefit from a pandemic is the rate of technological innovation. Technology helps us communicate and collaborate while staying safe.

While criticism and controversy always surround big-tech, technology makes life easier. Privacy issues aside, COVID-19 has given us challenges we never thought we would face. Temperature is one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19.

Temperature checking kiosks are attempting to fight the spread of the virus. Despite the pandemic, life must go on. Businesses still have to pay salaries, families need to make ends meet, and critical workers have to travel.

Kiosks are any digitally interactive terminals that help users access information and apps. Users can input data using keyboards or a touchscreen. The most common kiosks are self-service checkouts in retail.

Kiosks and interactive digital signage are often used interchangeably. So how do temperature checking kiosks work?

The Basics of Temperature Checking Kiosks

Temperature scanning kiosks offer companies quick and reliable ways to stay open during the pandemic. Kiosks offer API configurations that allow more features than temperature scanning.

Each manufacturer has different specs and purposes for its kiosk. However, there are some common features between different interactive kiosks. Kiosks are most applicable for ‘mass temperature vetting’, for example, at large events.

Temperature checking kiosks are either freestanding or mounted units. They can scan temperature, faces, and even the presence of masks.

Kiosks help businesses maintain their sales and services during the pandemic. Hotels, retail shops, sports stadiums, and movie theatres are all struggling. Interactive kiosks help keep both customers and staff safe.

Interactive kiosks make it easier to comply with social distancing rules. Kiosks don’t require staff observation to use, so customers can distance while interacting.

Even legibility can benefit, as customers can walk up to the interactive kiosk. Kiosks are also easier to sanitize, many even allow you to interact using your phone.

Conducting temperature checks on mass is time-consuming and dangerous. That’s why handheld thermometers aren’t the best solution. Here’s where temperature checking kiosks come into play.

How Temperature Checking Kiosks Work

Temperature checking kiosks like those from 1-800 Office Solutions can read the temperature of a passerby. Facial recognition software allows companies to verify employees automatically.

The kiosk reads the temperature of the skin on a person’s forehead. They are entirely non-contact.

These technologies are already highly effective (1-800 Office Solutions kiosks can read the temperature in under a second). Kiosks are also highly automated. Kiosks do not require any interaction from the user.

Temperature Checks

Kiosks use infrared scanning or thermal cameras. Since the temporal artery is located in the forehead, it isn’t necessary to scan the entire body. This also means that one reading can recognize faces too.

Remember that interactive kiosks are not medical devices. They should not replace medical treatment, nor the advice of trained medical professionals. The purpose is to reduce strain on employers and customers by automating repetitive events.

For example, scanning for high temperatures, or reminding people to wear masks. If users do display abnormal temperatures, they should seek confirmation from a doctor. Devices are not meant to diagnose, but simply to work as an extra layer of security.

Those that read a higher temperature than normal can be pulled aside for extra screening. This screening can involve an interview and a second check of temperature. If the person is showing other symptoms of COVID-19, they should stay clear of other customers.

Some businesses, like Home Depot, ask employees to check themselves at home. But temperature checking kiosks ensure that employees do so. Temperature checks aren’t the only strategy companies should deploy, but they are important.

Facial Recognition

Recognition software can also help you keep track of who has visited the site. This will help you comply with crowd limiting regulations. Recognition also allows you to inform customers and employees of positive test reports.

Data is immediately encrypted by the kiosk and sent via a privacy platform. Facial recognition reads unique characteristics of a person’s face. It compiles data into a complex mathematical formula.

Information is then compared on a secure database to find a match. Kiosks may only compare faces to those that have already been scanned.

Best Uses for Temperature Checking Kiosks

There are many potential uses for temperature checking kiosks. The technologies and features above can help us face new challenges that a pandemic brings.

Extra Security

One of the most common strategies is to carry out temperature checks at the door. Customers can obviously contract COVID-19 without displaying symptoms. Further, they can transmit the virus while showing no symptoms.

Temperature checks are not a fool-proof solution, but they can help limit spreading. Experts say that kiosks are 99% accurate at detecting surface temperatures. This is often down to the fact that kiosks scan one person at a time.

Kiosks are also often about two feet away from the person being scanned. This makes kiosks more effective than thermal cameras that scan masses of people.

As detailed above, kiosks are not medical devices. Fever-reducing medication can, for example, impact temperature readings.

They are not intended to diagnose your workforce or customer. However, kiosks can provide extra safety and assurance. Few businesses must actively test for the virus, but many must check temperatures.

Scheduling

Kiosks help you control employee access using schedules, flows, and shifts. Employees are working in close proximity to many factories, warehouses, and plants. Temperature checks will help ease the worries of your employees.

Interactive kiosks minimize disruption and are less invasive for the customer. Kiosks allow customers or visitors to enter a building at a near-constant pace.

Kiosks boast an approximately 70 check-per-minute rate. As long as they maintain social distancing while entering, they do not need to stop.

Kiosks are also more ‘friendly’ than handheld readings. Having a masked employee point a thermometer at you can be far more intimidating than a kiosk. It is important to keep customers happy and comfortable during a pandemic.

Productivity

Productivity in your business will benefit from a temperature checking kiosk. Kiosks can free up employees from doing dangerous and time-consuming work. Productivity also increases when employees feel safe at work.

Many businesses are scrambling to enable employees to work from home. Renting computers or setting up networks can be expensive. Kiosks can help people stay safe while returning to work.

Real-Time Tracking

Scheduling capabilities also allows businesses to set capacity limits and warnings. Interactive kiosks can send automated warnings when capacities are exceeded.

Traffic light indicators can control occupancy without the need for headcounts. Employees can also access a dashboard with live information.

Kiosks can also be branded and customized to fit the company. Different greetings or warnings are issued depending on the company.

Reassuring Employees and Customers

While temperature checks cannot guarantee a Covid-free work environment, it can be reassuring. It will also stop other illnesses and sicknesses.

In some cases, sick employees go to work with the normal flu or cough which can be unnerving for others. Flu’s and other diseases are also equally dangerous for employees and customers. While COVID-19 occupies the news, other diseases can still be disruptive.

Temperature checking kiosks are most recently being used at airports. While tourism and airline travel continues to suffer, kiosks are helping. Facial recognition also helps inform the potential sick person that they should seek testing.

Using Masks

Scanning kiosks can also check for the presence of masks. Those missing masks cannot enter until they wear one. Often these small reminders can go a long way to raising the level of safety in your business.

While a constant monitor of your employees isn’t necessary for most businesses, people can forget. Small reminders like the presence of kiosks can ensure that everyone brings a mask to work.

More Applications

Temperature checking kiosks are being utilized throughout the economy. Education is the next industry to adopt the measure.

The main benefit of kiosks is the lack of any interaction. There is no touching and no proximity to others.

Kiosks have a unique bonus of not affected by outside temperatures. Customers (or students) arriving from hot or cold conditions won’t affect readings.

Using Kiosks in Your Business

It is important to remember that kiosks are far from a final solution to COVID-19. Checking temperature won’t keep companies virus-free. But it can help stop severe cases from entering the premises.

Kiosks can also help soothe panic and distress amongst employees that have to attend work. Temperature checking kiosks can save time, money, and even your business. Compliance failures, COVID-19 cases, and lack of measures can be fatal for a business.

Keeping your customers and employees safe is vital for business and reputation. Please contact us if you have further questions about the technical capabilities of kiosks.