A Chinese startup that develops augmented-reality products for use in
manufacturing and gaming has found a promising growth area in the midst
of a global pandemic – wearable glasses that measure temperatures on
the move.
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019, Hangzhou-based
startup Rokid developed a pair of glasses to help screen for symptoms.
Rokid Vice President Xiang Wenjie says demand has risen for the
company’s T1 glasses, developed in only two weeks, after it sold roughly
1,000 pairs to governments, industrial parks and schools.
“Apart from fixed temperature measurement, T1 can provide portable,
distant and prompt temperature checking, which would be a great help,”
Xiang said.
Equipped with an infrared sensor and a camera, the glasses allow the wearer to “see” peoples’ temperatures.
Rokid says on its website that it completed a round of
“billion-dollar” financing in 2018, led by Singapore state investor
Temasek, Swiss bank Credit Suisse and others.
The company said it is now is upgrading the T1 to take multiple
temperature readings simultaneously for use in places like malls and
airports.
One office park in Hangzhou is replacing fixed thermometer stands
with glasses after a flood of employees returning to work made
temperature checks a headache for property management.
“With more new products coming out, especially these glasses, we
think we can use them to conduct contactless temperature measurement,
they are very efficient when faced with a big crowd of people,” said Jin
Keli, president of Greentown Property Management.
Rokid is not the only Chinese tech startup involved in the fight
against COVID-19. Thermal imaging systems made by face recognition giant
SenseTime have been installed in railway stations across China.
The new coronavirus, first detected in Wuhan, the capital city of
China’s central Hubei province, has so far killed more than 4,600 people
and infected nearly 83,000 in mainland China.
https://nypost.com/2020/05/01/chinese-startup-rokid-sees-opportunity-with-covid-fighting-smart-glasses/
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