Imagine this. You get to the airport, get your boarding pass, wait in line for security, and just when you’re about through, a polite man comes over to you and asks if you could come aside for a moment. But instead of ushering you to a white room and telling you to assume the position, he merely observes you closely and then asks you to take an aspirin. You see, the infra-red cameras have detected a slight fever. Yes, only in Japan.
Japan is very concerned for its citizens’ safety; but instead of concocting ineffective security measures, they are enforcing preventative care in that playplace of infection, the airport. I suppose it’s a bit of an invasion of privacy, but no more than x-raying your bags or getting millimeter wave pictures of your junk. They have infra-red cameras set up to pick out people who may be a little hotter than normal, and in extreme cases where an fever actually seems present, they may actually escort you to a hospital to be treated.
It’s an interesting idea to extrapolate to other devices: imagine if computers had low-res IR cameras that would detect a high temperature and advise you to medicate? Or a larger camera mounted in a nursery or children’s ward, which could easily monitor temperature without constant probing with thermometers?
Weird stuff, but pretty cool as well.
[via Laughing Squid]
Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]