A new cloud-based system monitors body temperatures of people and sends out alerts autonomously
A Japanese startup that specializes in big data solutions for self-driving vehicles among other things has switched gears and created a cloud-based system to autonomously monitor the body temperatures of people.
PSYGIG Inc. developed the new solution with the help of Microsoft to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
It works like this: Thermographic cameras scan individuals as they walk by. Data from the scans are then aggregated and analyzed on PSYGIG’s platform, which is built on Microsoft Azure. The system issues an immediate alert to authorities when someone’s body temperature is found to be 38°C or higher.
Gary King Man Lo, CEO of PSYGIG, said the company’s previous work allowed it to develop its COVID-19 initiative quickly.
“Given our expertise in collecting data and triggering a data-driven response in real-time, we thought we could help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by providing this thermal imaging system that automatically monitors skin surface temperatures,” he says.
PSYGIG is now looking at how Microsoft’s Cognitive Services pre-trained AI might be able to analyze image data obtained from its thermographic cameras to improve efficiency and accuracy.
Tomoko Mikami, Executive Officer, Small, Medium & Corporate Lead, Microsoft Japan, has lauded PSYGIG’s latest project.
Technology to help curb the pandemic
“Microsoft is leveraging technology to support efforts to respond to the challenging situation created by the spread of COVID-19, which is currently inflicting major impacts on everyday life and workstyles,” Mikami says.
“Our support efforts were recently expanded by the very rapid development and provision on Azure of a useful solution by PSYGIG, a startup company selected for the Microsoft for Startups program. We hope that this solution will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and will continue its efforts to provide even more extensive support.”
PSYGIG’s platform has been designed as an enterprise solution (SaaS). It provides full group management and data access control in a variety of settings, including co-working spaces, commercial buildings, shopping malls, aquariums, cruise businesses, and security companies.
It is also being used in the development of the realtime data visualization for autonomous vehicles, drones, and other mobility IoT devices.
“To protect people from unexpected machine errors and accidents caused by autonomous moving machines, we have been providing a cloud platform for aggregating and visualizing sensor data from autonomous machines to monitor their operations in real-time automatically,” says Lo.