Thanks to the asymptomatic transfer of COVID-19, preventative measures such as washing your hands and wearing a face mask are that are increasingly becoming more and more important. These steps are largely left up to individual responsibility, but Minnetonka-based technology company Municipal Parking Services (and the company’s Sentry Health division) just announced a product that makes those them a bit more mandatory.
The Sentry Health Kiosk™ (an evolution of the company’s smart parking devices) manages entry by reporting body temperature, mandating hand washing (via automated hand sanitizer dispensers), optionally scanning a face for a mask, and several other features. If any of these measures aren’t met by the person being scanned (the device is completely non-contact based), entry is denied to whatever gates or doors the device is linked to. The goal is to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 while creating an easily accessible audit trail.
“Studies show that most people with Covid-19 are asymptomatic, so having a device that just takes temperatures is inadequate at best,” Joe Caldwell, founder of Sentry Health, said. “According to experts, the best way to protect yourself and mitigate the spread of a virus is simply to wash your hands. Sentry Health Kiosk is the only system that checks both boxes – temperature reading and audited hand sanitization. If a person doesn’t complete the process, they simply can’t come in.”
With the march toward a re-opened country slow and unsure, the device is an interesting — if slightly Orwellian — view of what public and commercial life might be like going forward. Things are bound to be very different going forward, and tech like this is undoubtedly going to play a big role in that.
Device Image: PRNewsfoto/Sentry Health
