If the current global COVID-19 pandemic has taught us nothing else, it is clear now that how we live, work and play has fundamentally changed forever. There is no going back to ‘normal’; that is no longer a possibility. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.
As our attention shifts increasingly towards how to stay safe and healthy at home and work, it is understandable to feel overwhelmed by the pressure to keep yourself – and those around you – as safe as possible.
The good news is that the technology industry already has comprehensive yet affordable solutions that can help home and business owners minimise the risk of infections spreading around their properties. Solutions that the team at Electronic Living have been installing into homes and businesses around Queensland for years.
In particular, systems built on ‘biometrics’, which are measurable human characteristics like the fingerprint and retina scans you already use to access your smart phone, can help you to interact with your home or office in a much safer way.
To most people, facial recognition, retina and fingerprint scans and the like may seem like something from a bad sci-fi movie, but this technology is actually available today, it has been thoroughly tested and has proved itself in many real-world environments. Further, it is so easy to use that anybody can use it regardless of age or technical know-how.
STAYING SAFE AT HOME
Historically (that is, pre-COVID), biometrics were far more common in commercial properties than homes. But, that’s not to say that the technology hasn’t – or can’t – be used in these settings.
First and foremost, biometric-enabled devices can change how you enter your home. Imagine being able to throw away your keys! You could simply use your fingerprint to unlock your door, or even just look at a camera with facial recognition capabilities. The facial recognition products that Electronic Living incorporate into our smart home projects can recognise up to 5,000 faces in less than one second, so it is actually much faster than finding and using your keys too!
Then, if you have a larger control system installed, as you walk through the front door the lights could switch on to the levels you like most. Or your favourite song, album or radio station could start playing throughout your house. Or your blinds could open, letting natural light flood in. The options are literally endless!
Of course, it is always smart to have a backup plan, so you could also set a PIN or security code so that house guests can still get inside. You could even set boundaries for tradespeople, to stop them from accessing certain areas of your home that they should not be in while you are at work.
STAYING SAFE AT WORK
Eliminate the need to disinfect doorknobs, for example, by eliminating the need for doorknobs! A facial scanner can reduce the need for people to interact with a physical handle.
These systems also allow you to check the temperature of anybody entering your property and detect any signs of fever, without putting yourself or someone else at risk by standing close to somebody and using a thermometer. They also help you with crowd control, so you do not inadvertently breach government regulations.
The key to all of these systems is to be as ‘touchless’ as possible. Our facial recognition devices feature thermographic cameras, which allows you to seek out elevated body temperatures with an accuracy rate of +/- 0.5°C. In-built 21MP cameras are used to pinpoint and extract the pixels in the tear duct area around the eye and then trigger a thermographic camera to measure the temperature in that area. It even incorporates real-time machine learning to take in consideration factors like ambient temperature and distance from the device. It is amazing technology!
These systems may sound incredibly complicated and they do incorporate some very complex technology; but from a home or business owner’s perspective they are incredibly easy to use. Leave the rest to our experienced team!
If facial recogition technology is something you would like to incorporate into your home or business, please contact us to discuss!
