Athena Security is an AI surveillance startup that created a platform it claims can stop threats before they happen. The latest threat detection it has added is for COVID-19, the coronavirus that is quickly spreading across the globe.
According to the company’s website, “Our Fever Detection COVID-19 Screening System is now a part of our platform along with our gun detection system which connects directly to your current security camera system to deliver fast, accurate threat detection — including guns, knives, and aggressive action. Our system can also alert you to falls, accidents and unwelcome visitors.”
Athena says its AI platform utilizes a NVIDIA 2080 RTX graphics card and computer vision to continuously monitor every camera frame for threats such as a gun being pulled out, hands in the air or someone being punched. When it comes to detecting coronavirus, “Athena watches the thermal camera for people with elevated body temperature. Fever and dry cough are the first two signs of coronavirus infection, and fever is a quantitative way to rapidly screen large numbers that walk by the camera without friction,” the company says.
Once a person with an elevated temperature is detected, Athena will send a real-time video feed to security staff, an administrator or whomever the user designates.
Athena says its platform can send alerts to a user’s VMS and integrate with access control or other systems with an API, available by request. The company is aiming its coronavirus detection at schools, corporations, retail organizations, industrial companies and other industries that are putting workplace safety measures in place to help prevent the spread of the virus.
