Etihad Airways is testing self-serve, contactless kiosks that can monitor passengers' temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate and identify at-risk travelers.
The national carrier of the United Arab Emirates has announced details of a pilot project that will introduce the new technology at its hub airport in Abu Dhabi. The kiosks will be installed at the end of the month and be trialed throughout May.
The technology is meant to help airports identify and flag passengers with medical symptoms that would make them potential health hazards to fellow flyers, including potential carriers of COVID-19.
The devices will be installed at touchpoints across the airport including check-in, information, bag drop-off facilities, security points and immigration gates.
The system is programmed to automatically suspend the check-in or bag drop-off process if it detects potentially harmful symptoms like a fever. It then diverts to a teleconference or alerts staff who will take over.
"This technology is not designed or intended to diagnose medical conditions," said Jorg Oppermann, Vice President Hub and Midfield Operations in a statement.
"It is an early warning indicator which will help to identify people with general symptoms, so that they can be further assessed by medical experts, potentially preventing the spread of some conditions to others preparing to board flights to multiple destinations.
The hands-free device is enabled through voice recognition to minimize the risk of viral or bacterial transmission and was developed by Australian company Elenium Automation.
Airports across Asia have long been screening passengers' temperatures via thermal cameras and thermometer guns.
