Biometrics and digital ID providers launch health credential, detection and temperature screening for COVID-19 recovery

The newest wave of products and initiatives for COVID-19 safety from biometrics and digital ID innovators includes a health credential from Incode and a plan to help disburse unemployment benefits from ID.me. Early detection technologies from Spartan Bioscience and Shimmer and body temperature scanning solutions from Logile, ISS, and students in India have also been unveiled.

Incode has developed a digital health credential with biometric authentication that it says is privacy-centric and consent-based to help businesses safely resume operation with the establishment and enforcement of COVID-19 prevention measures.

The company says it new Incode HealthID is built in accordance with recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), as well as epidemiologists and industry-specific guidelines. The software tracks daily compliance with symptom and temperature checks, mask wearing, hand sanitization, and creates a digital certificate based on clinical lab testing to indicate immunity, negative or positive results. The solution is also HIPAA and HITECH-compliant, and based on GDPR principles, according to the announcement.

“Providing a safe and healthy workplace moving forward will require a fundamental change in the way organizations verify employee health and comply with safety guidelines,” says Ricardo Amper, CEO and founder of Incode. “There is no silver bullet to deal with the COVID-19 epidemic, so going back to a ‘new normal’ will not only require discipline, but also technology to automate the verification process while protecting employees’ right to privacy. This is precisely why we’ve created a robust multi-step process to facilitate the execution of multiple preventive measures ranging from basic hygiene to testing digital certification. HealthID will also help employees understand how they can do their part to mitigate the risk of contagion when they adhere to safety standards. It’s the only way to give employees peace of mind to return to work.”

Primary features and benefits of Incode HealthID include testing certification with bank-grade digital certificates, continuous status monitoring and alerting, contactless status verification and biometric facial recognition.

With several hundred thousand unemployment applicants yet to receive benefits and labor agencies in many states overwhelmed, ID.me says it is working with state unemployment agencies to allow all claimants to verify their identity and get payments flowing with biometrics.

The company is providing its federally certified identity verification platform for fast claimant identity verification under its No Identity Left Behind initiative. ID.me says it is able to process 100 percent of claims, using a self-service process that begins with a government ID check. People unable to complete the process are routed automatically to ID.me’s Virtual In-Person Proofing process, to interact with a U.S.-based ID.me agent through video chat. The technology has been enormously successful since first being deployed for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 2018.

“Online identity verification processes already discriminate against less affluent populations due to their dependency on credit history. The current unemployment crisis precipitated by COVID-19 adds insult to injury as many workers find they are unable to verify their identity online,” comments Blake Hall, CEO and founder of ID.me. “Our No Identity Left Behind pledge ensures all claimants have equitable access to online services while also preventing fraud.”

The solution is certified to NIST 800-63-3 IAL 2/AAL2 for assurance in remote customer identity proofing.

The company announced it has raised $8.3 million in new funding just weeks ago.

Early COVID-19 detection

Air Canada is collaborating with Spartan Bioscience to assess the deployment of rapid DNA testing for COVID-19 detection with the portable Spartan Cube, PAX reports.

Spartan is developing a proprietary swab for collecting DNA samples to complete its test, using reagent cartridges and the Cube for portable DNA analysis, both of which are still subject to approval by Health Canada.

The airline introduced a comprehensive safety program it calls Air Canada CleanCare+ in May, and says it is committed to adding processes and technologies to its pandemic spread prevention efforts as they become available.

Wearable-maker Shimmer has partnered with the University of South Florida to develop an early warning system for COVID-19 infection.

A study of 100 people wearing Shimmer devices will track biological characteristics such as skin temperature, thoracic bioimpedance, oxygen saturation (SpO2), and then machine learning and artificial intelligence will be applied to find patterns for early identification of infection.

The Shimmer3 EBio sensor is fully validated and CE marked, according to the company, and enables the tracking of lung health, which is a primary concern for COVID-19.

Body temperature scanning

Logile has launched a new solution for contactless body temperature scanning, mask detection and health risk attestation, with optional face or fingerprint biometrics.

The voice-controlled Health & Temperature Scanner (HT Scanner) provides temperature reading accuracy of 99.7 percent, according to the announcement, and can be configured to meet local mandates and customer policies. The combined hardware and software is available through cloud-based subscription.

“Organizations are being asked to take an increasingly active role in protecting the safety of their employees, customers, members, and the public,” states Purna Mishra, Logile CEO and president. “Logile is committed to deliver the only truly touch-free scanner offering completely configurable workflows and multiple temperature thresholds.”

Intelligent Security Systems (ISS) has released the new SecurOS Face Mask Detection (FMD) solution to provide advanced mask detection analytics to help organizations restore operations.

ISS FMD provides alerts to administrators whenever an individual attempts to enter a facility without a mask in violation of rules or policies. The new offering is part of a wider Plan for a Safe Return to Work initiative from the company, which integrates touchless identification and access control with FaceX facial recognition and elevated body temperature detection with a thermal camera on the SecurOS platform.

Students from the School of Entrepreneurship Skills at Bhartiya Skill Development University (BSDU) in India have developed a contactless body temperature measuring device with automatic hand sanitizer dispensing and attendance tracking with facial recognition, according to Outlook.

The three-in-one device can be plugged in, or run on solar power, and a patent application has been published in India.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  credentials  |  digital identity  |  facial recognition  |  fever detection  |  ID.me  |  Incode  |  Intelligent Security Systems (ISS)  |  Rapid DNA  |  temperature monitoring  |  wearables