Cotton On Group is deploying a new fever detection kiosk, designed and developed in Victoria by Elenium Automation, to increase safety and reduce the risk of spreading viruses, including Covid-19.

HealthGate offers automated and accurate health screening for entry into Cotton On Group’s national distribution centre in Avalon, Victoria. The kiosks have been operating at the 35,000 square metres premises since the start of 2021.

The system uses a proprietary multi-spectrum sensor array which leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect the appropriate region of interest on a user’s face and measure if they have a fever. It also incorporates health declaration technology prior to arrival at a facility.

If the self—declaration indicates they are not likely to be ill, the system generates a QR code for contact tracing, scanned by employees from the HealthGate screen while checking their temperature. If their temperature is within an acceptable limit, the kiosks grant 24-hour access and print-out a pass for their uniform.

Cotton On Group chief financial officer, Michael Hardwick said at the height of the pandemic, the retailer was looking for health screening technology that would allow them to protect their people and operations.

“HealthGate is a great solution for our distribution centre where we have 300 to 400 team members coming through each day,” he said.

Elenium Automation CEO, Aaron Hornlimann said one critical difference between its device and others on the market is the sophistication of the sensors.

“Thermometers that are relied upon in the market simply measure a person’s skin temperature at their forehead, which only tells you the temperature of that single spot, not whether they have a fever,” he said.

“HealthGate takes accurate readings of specific areas on a person’s face such as the tear duct, where the blood vessels are near the surface of their skin.”

It detects a potential fever in under two seconds and eliminates the potential for human error in administrating the health screening process. HealthGate is entirely touchless through a virtual touchscreen technology to ensure a safe and hygienic experience.

Following months of testing, HealthGate is now listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) as a medical device manufacturer.