Mobile Wide-Area Fever Detection Through Computational Pixel Infrared Imaging

Our objective in this SBIR proposal is to adapt our advanced infrared imaging technology, called WISP, to accurately screen for fevers to aid in Decision Support to Combat the Virus (Focus Area 1 of the COVID area of interest) and help slow further spread of the “coronavirus disease 2019” (COVID-19).  As a 500-Mpix, high dynamic range, LongWave InfraRed (LWIR) video system, WISP, or a variation on its design, is well-equipped to measure the brightness temperature of objects at a distance with a precision better than 0.1 oC.  When calibrated, the system promises a very wide field-of-view, up to the entire 360o surroundings.  Accurate brightness temperature measurements of everything visible in the surroundings could be made every few seconds. The system could provide unmatched capability to measure skin temperature and detect probable febrile subjects at a long distance and across a large area. The data could in-turn drive automated analysis to gather febrile subject counts in an area.  Note that it is not possible to identify people using WISP LWIR imagery alone.  The currently deployed WISP system does not yet support accurate temperature calibration and is not easily affordable for a broad commercial market.  As part of this SBIR, we propose to immediately build and deploy a mobile testbed to measure face temperature and detect probable fevers using an existing WISP system. In parallel, we will implement a spiral development plan to understand the optimal CONOPS, implement auto-detection algorithms for febrile subjects, and develop a more affordable sensor solution for future production.