As the needs to contain the Covid-19 shift to more monitoring and tracking of the virus’s community spread, a local company is looking to broaden its effort to fight against the pandemic with the release of some new safety-focused tech.
Dallas-based SpotSee, an end-to-end IoT logistics solutions provider, announced it is releasing a hands-free forehead thermometer device for essential businesses as they begin to reopen their workplaces in the weeks ahead.
“As companies begin the transition back to their facilities, these simple, low-cost and hands-free thermometers are used as a safeguard to identify fever and prevent the virus from spreading,” said Tony Fonk, CEO at SpotSee, in a prepared statement. “Recent outbreaks in major meat packing plants have shown the importance of a proactive temperature monitoring strategy.”
No stranger to the fight against other coronavirus outbreaks, SpotSee said its temperature indicators have been used to monitor test specimens for SARS and H1N1. It has also recently been using that tech to transport specimens of Covid-19 and has sent indicators to state health departments and health agencies in Chihuahua, Mexico, where it operates a manufacturing facility.
According to CDC guidelines, Covid-19 specimens need to be refrigerated with a temperature range of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius and need to be processed within 72 hours of collection. Failure to meet those guidelines causes a sample to be rejected, which could delay treatment of a patient or cause further backlog on overstrained testing sites.
"We want to do our part in helping maintain the health of our peers here and across the country."
“We want to do our part in helping maintain the health of our peers here and across the country, as well as our employees and their families,” Fonk said in April, after sending the indicators to Mexico.
The new forehead thermometer has been registered with the FDA to meet other CDC regulations stating essential employees should have their temperature taken before returning to work. The device looks almost like a small magnetic band, using an adhesive strip an employee can apply themselves. Then, liquid crystal technology will change color based on temperature, indicating whether that employee has a fever.
Already, SpotSee said the technology is being used in the retail manufacturing, food delivery and medical services industries.
SpotSee was founded in 1976 and was acquired by St. Louis-based Harbour Group for an undisclosed amount in November 2019.
“Our devices eliminate the need for physical contact during the temperature taking process, allowing employees to maintain appropriate social distance at all times,” Fonk said.
