The Wasps Rugby Club in Coventry, UK, has installed Vodafone’s heat detection camera at its Broadstreet training facility to help safeguard staff and players as they return to training.
 
The camera can screen the body temperature of up to 100 people per minute and is accurate to within ±0.3˚C.
 
The move comes as Premiership rugby union clubs across the UK are given the green light to return to non-contact training, subject to social distancing, daily screening, cleaning and hygiene requirements
 
The camera is at the main entrance to the training ground and will screen the body temperature of everyone coming in. Signs around the club will tell visitors about the camera and what it’s for.
 
“The heat detection camera will be a useful tool in helping to safely reopen our facilities, and to provide reassurance to our staff, players and visitors that we are providing as safe an environment as we can,” said Stephen Vaughan, CEO of Wasps Group. “We have a very strong partnership with Vodafone which allows us to work together to use their cutting-edge technology to help our club.”
 
Anne Sheehan, business director for Vodafone in the UK, added: “It’s fantastic to see solutions like our heat detection camera really making a difference as organisations get their people back to work while prioritising safety. The camera is one of a number of tools companies can use to help get through this challenging time.”
 
The camera combines thermal imaging and Vodafone’s IoT technology to screen the temperature of people as they enter buildings, and quickly analyse the results. The camera can check the temperature of up to 100 people per minute. Thermal images are streamed securely and in real time to a laptop or mobile device where instant analytics provide a discreet alert that a person may have a raised temperature. These alerts should then be further investigated using standard clinical evaluation methods to determine whether any further action is necessary. The IoT provides reliable and secure connectivity and enables standalone installation with no additional IT requirements.
 
“The camera will be an important part of the toolkit in helping our players get back to training,” said Ali James, head of physiotherapy at Wasps Rugby Club. “It’s vital that the players, staff and visitors to our training facility know that all available measures are being implemented by the club to enhance safety across the site.”
 
The camera is part of Vodafone’s enhanced smart vision portfolio. It comes with a laptop and tablet, full installation, and a round-the-clock secure managed service to cater for organisations with extended working hours. The managed service monitors the system infrastructure and field engineers will be sent if a camera fails.