Etihad to trial tech to identify travellers with health conditions
ABU DHABI — Etihad airways will trial a new technology that powers self-service devices at airports to help identify travellers with medical conditions, potentially including the early stages of Covid-19.
The airline will be the first in the world to trial the technology that can monitor the temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate of any person using an airport touchpoint such as a checkin or information kiosk, a bag drop facility, a security point or immigration gate.
australian company Elenium automation’s technology will automatically suspend the self-service check-in or bag drop process if a passenger’s vital signs indicate potential symptoms of illness. it will then divert to a teleconference or alert qualified staff on site, who can make further assessments and manage travellers as appropriate.
in partnership with amazon Web Services, Elenium has also developed ‘hands free’ technologies that enable touchless use of self-service devices through voice recognition, further minimising the potential of any viral or bacterial transmission.
Etihad will initially trial the monitoring technology at its hub airport in abu dhabi at the end of april and throughout May 2020. it will be done initially with volunteers, and as flights resume, outbound passengers.
“This technology is not designed or intended to diagnose medical conditions. it is an early warning indicator which will help identify people with general symptoms, so that they can be further assessed by medical experts. This will potentially prevent the spread of some conditions to others preparing to board flights to multiple destinations,” said Jorg Oppermann, vice-president, hub and Midfield Operations, Etihad airways.
“We are testing this technology because we believe it will not only help in the current Covid-19 outbreak, but also into the future, with assessing a passenger’s suitability to travel and thus minimising disruptions. We see this is as another step towards ensuring that future viral outbreaks do not have the same devastating effect on the global aviation industry as is currently the case.”