AI system checks for face masks, high temperatures to slow spread of COVID-19

Microsoft has debuted a new AI solution that could help slow the spread of the new coronavirus: an automated system that can monitor hospital entrances to make sure people are wearing a face mask and don’t have a fever.

According to a new report from Forbes, Microsoft designed the system to check temperatures and look for face masks at the same time using a thermal sensor. So far, the team is referring to its creation as the “AI masks and infrared temperature 2-in-1 detection device.”

Microsoft debuted the system at Cardinal Tien Hospital, a 300-bed hospital in Taiwan. The hospital had previously been asking staff members to monitor the entrance, checking each person to see that they wore a face mask and did not have a fever. Liao Mao-hung, administration vice superintendent for the hospital, told Forbes the system has been helpful as doctors work to combat COVID-19.  

“We can guard our doorways in a timely way and at the same time reduce the burden on our hospital staff people,” Mao-hung said. “There’s also the principle of keeping infected people away from our staff.”

Click below to read the full story:

Michael Walter
Michael Walter, Managing Editor

Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.

Around the web

A string of executive orders from the White House created serious concerns among radiologists and other healthcare providers throughout the United States. The American College of Radiology issued a statement to help guide its members through the chaos. 

Bridgefield Capital, founded in 2015, has previously invested in such popular brands as Cirque Du Soleil, Del Monte and Quiksilver. This transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2025. 

Given the precarious excitement of the moment—or is it exciting precarity?—policymakers and healthcare leaders must set directives guiding not only what to do with AI but also when to do it.