< Previousnews Pyramid Computer launches health screening kiosk Pyramid Computer GmbH has announced its new polytouch 32 curve - access control kiosk which automatically measures human body temperature as part of authorising personnel and visitor access to buildings and public areas. Quick and accurate contactless checks can determine if an individual is running a fever and therefore potentially has the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) or other virus or bacterial disease. With the gradual easing of public lockdown measures, the Pyramid polytouch 32 curve kiosk can help businesses rapidly detect and reduce the potential spread of infection among employees, guests and visitors. Combining contactless thermal temperature screening sensors with software from essentry - well-proven in border control passport verification and biometric facial recognition - the Pyramid polytouch 32 curve kiosk offers a level of public access safety and accuracy that cannot be matched by existing human-error prone processes. Using intelligent sensor technology and tracking the distance of the subject to the sensor results in a reliable statement of body temperature. This is performed in less than a second enabling fast processing of up to 700 people per hour, therefore maximising user convenience and safety without compromising the customer organisation’s need for efficiency and security. Single or multiple kiosks are easily and safely deployed in and around buildings and can be connected to automatic doors, turnstiles, locks or barriers for access control after successful testing. Patrick Hagemeister, International Account Director at Pyramid Computer said: “Our new polytouch 32 curve - access control kiosk establishes a test barrier at the entrance to your building - it could be your contribution to helping prevent virus spread by offering more protection to employees, visitors, suppliers and the general public.” Using essentry's software, the Pyramid’s polytouch 32 curve – access control kiosk scans, verifies and extracts data from an individual’s identity credentials (e.g. card or driver's license) and performs facial recognition to verify their identity. At the same time their body temperature is monitored. Protection from user manipulation is assured through intelligent thermal image analysis technology. n inurface Group develops solutions to support the UK’s recovery With the country still largely in lockdown, with social distancing measures as part of the controls around COVID-19, UK businesses are starting, to explore ways in which adaptations need to be made to ensure a safe movement back to normal working and operating patterns once government recommendations allow it. Josh Bunce, founder and CEO of inurface Group, has developed a number of solutions to help support businesses back into operation as well as offer vital reassurance for the public using these services. Using their background and expertise in retail communications solutions and signage, the focus in inurface Groups’ mind is twofold. Firstly, an office environment to keep employees safe and allow them to return to work and secondly a retail situation where the public will need to be managed and proactively communicated with, to ensure a safe experience for all. The first item developed by inurface Group is a thermal monitoring camera which, at distance, can remotely read multiple individuals’ temperatures within 0.3 of a degree. The technology uses an integrated cloud based system to share this data in real time with store managers, security teams and even remote head offices. This technology allows businesses to practically, without disruption, monitor large numbers of people’s temperatures in a short period of time and act as necessary to keep areas safe for operation. This adapted technology has been used historically in various ways but never before in these settings, and often with less accurate readings or requiring people to be within a closer range of the device. The second item, a digital signage hand sanitiser, has combined two technologies to encourage high levels of sanitation at points of entry to stores and offices while allowing the same consumer to be targeted with messaging specific to each location. The screens can be used depending on the unique setting, for example, to regulate crowd flow into a food store, to communicate precautions being taken and offer tailored advice to users through easily positioned monitors. These highly visual units, whether in a work or retail setting, with hand sanitiser attachments, will mean more individuals are likely to digest the vital messaging being communicated. Josh Bunce, CEO and founder of inurface Group commented: “For us, it wasn’t about re-inventing the wheel, but about looking at what solutions we had previously offered as a business, as well as the technology available for adaptation, and working on creative ways these could quickly and practically support businesses and reassure the public.” n 10 KIOSK solutionsnews UNTACT introduces contactless touch monitors for kiosks Craft Data, the UK and European representative for industrial display monitor specialist GTT Co. Ltd has introduced their latest range of hygienic contactless touch monitors designed for kiosk applications. The “UNTACT” touch monitor range uses the tried and tested infrared touch technology, however, whereas in conventional IR touch monitors the infrared touch is mounted as close to the display surface as possible, typically 5mm, “UNTACT” moves the infrared touch frame 25mm away from the display surface, making the detection of a stylus (finger or gloved finger) 25mm away from the physical touch point being displayed on the TFT LCD, hence “contactless”. To help the user understand that the touch has been registered without the act of physically touching the screen the monitor has two haptics built in, “light” and “sound” and one external haptic, “visual”, which requires additional software (supplied) loaded onto the kiosk’s hard drive. These three haptics help in the following ways. Visual: an animated transparent target is superimposed over the users intended touch target displayed on the TFT LCD panel; light: LED lighting mounted around the edge of the active display area switches on and illuminates the display area at the detection of a stylus then switches off when the stylus is removed and lastly, sound: a buzzer/ beeper sounds to indicate the detection of a stylus. Another feature unique to UNTACT is its polygonal touch function which detects and dismisses a hand or sleeve should these accidentally stray into the touch area alongside the intended stylus, plus a 6-point multi- touch function gives users the same pinch and pull functionality they associate with their own smartphones. There are currently four sizes within the “UNTACT” range, 21.5”, 23.8”, 27.0” and 32.0”. All have a 1920x1080 full HD resolution and are in the wide screen 16:9 format. IPS or MVA technology TFT LCD panels are used, ensuring that all monitors have ultra-wide viewing angles of 178° on both the horizontal and vertical axis allowing for the monitors to be mounted in both landscape and portrait orientations without loss of image quality and colour. Larger sizes up to 100” are in planning and the company can also offer a full customisation service should a certain panel size, high brightness or a complete bespoke monitor to your own design be required. n KIOSK solutions 11Tuesday 8th December 2020 Business Design Centre, London N1 0QH Europe's only dedicated event for the kiosk and digital signage industry Sponsor/partnership opportunities www.kdseurope.com KDS 2020 is for integrators, manufacturers and service providers who utilise self-serve technology to interact with clients and streamline customer journeys. KDS 2020 offers the opportunity to reach a uniquely qualified audience of key decision makers with real projects. Core sectors We bring together the core sectors that make up the global kiosk and digital signage industry; including self-serve, wayfinding, information boards, touchscreen and unattended payments. Learn Broaden your knowledge with our informative seminars that feature the self-service and digital signage industry’s most respected thought leaders. Develop your business through successful strategies brought to you by our experts. Network KDS 2020 provides you with the perfect forum to network, collaborate and to check out the competition! Showcase Launch products and services, drive brand awareness, demonstrate technical, technological and resource capability to a targeted audience. Now open for exhibitor enquiries Accepting speaker suggestions 12 KIOSK solutionsnews Touchless kiosk fever detection The TALL Group of Companies has partnered with international leading kiosk manufacturers imageHOLDERS to tackle Covid-19 in public spaces throughout the UK. The new Guardian Kiosk is an all-in-one Touchless Fever Detection solution to protect people in spaces that require visitor management. The kiosk, that can be customised or is ready to use out-of-the-box, features an integrated fever detection camera to provide companies with a practical solution for fast and reliable fever screening. The Guardian Kiosk gives staff and visitors the platform to determine whether or not they are showing a key symptom of the virus and the need to put measures in place to protect those in the vicinity. The two companies behind the partnership have been working extensively to launch the Guardian Kiosk family of products that include a variety of integrated devices suitable for a wide range of applications and offer efficient, safe and reliable control. Martin Ruda, Managing Director of the TALL Group of Companies, said: “We know that technology can play a huge role in tackling Covid-19, and the Guardian Kiosks are doing exactly that. Using infrared thermal imaging technology and ready-to-use software for super-fast integrated fever detection, the kiosks are customisable to suit the unique visitor management and workforce challenges facing our clients. "Our clients are very appreciative of the new product range of non- touch solutions, which are easy to clean and install, mains-powered with data stored via Ethernet or WiFi.” The touchless fever detection kiosk is floor-standing and uses infrared technology to detect a fever and record a person’s temperature when stood in front of it. n Interactive multi-touch table powered by Zytronic welcomes visitors to corporate centre Built to welcome staff and partners to an advanced corporate training centre, the unique interactive table not only needed to have a stunning design with meticulous attention to detail, but be fully functional with built-in interactive displays. This spectacular 6.4m long table incorporates three 86” LG displays and is equipped with Zytronic multi-touch technology. Building a 6.4m multi-screen, multi- touch table with embedded electronics was the design and fabrication challenge faced by an internationally renowned design and consultancy firm to meet the needs of one of its clients. In addition, the supports for the large touch displays presented an additional challenge, as the client specified an Italian white marble clad plinth. To bring this original concept to life, the industrial design firm turned to interactive technology leader, Ideum. The company created the initial structural drawings and worked with an architect and the end customer to ensure that the table and its materials matched the interior design of the training centre. The table was fabricated in sections, at Ideum’s studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with the interior structure cut out on the studio’s CNC milling machine, glued and then fitted with fibreglass to provide additional strength for the heavy Italian marble slabs that would cover its sides. Articulated steel hinges were designed and machined to allow each end of the table to bear the extreme weight of the stone-clad interior access doors and upon final assembly with the marble and touchscreens in place, the table weighed in at 5,500lbs — nearly three metric tons. Ideum was also responsible for custom building the three 86” inline multi- touch screens. They chose to fabricate these using LG commercial-grade display panels and Zytronic touch sensing technology. Zytronic’s multi-touch, projected capacitive technology (MPCT), consists of a customised 86” toughened glass ZyBrid touch sensor with a 20mm printed black border, combined with a Zytronic ZXY500 multi-touch controller that supports up to 100 independent touchpoints and millisecond quick touch response. The combination of Zytronic’s proprietary touch controllers and customised, large format touch sensor production capability together with Ideum’s bespoke interactive software, were the ideal choice to deliver a compelling, collaborative multi-user experience that is smartphone-like, but on a far larger and significantly more durable scale. “This project was a tremendous challenge; it isn’t every day you are asked to build a table so large that it has its own crawlspace, and so heavy that each section must be moved with a forklift,” says Jim Spadaccini, Founder & Creative Director at Ideum. “At the same time, the project was extraordinarily rewarding, as our team collaborated with great partners like Zytronic, and pushed our design, fabrication, and technological skills to new levels. We are immensely proud to have such a diverse and skilled team of designers, engineers, fabricators, and developers to tackle such complex projects – and we look forward to the next one.” n KIOSK solutions 13news Mayflex installs thermal cameras at their head office Mayflex, the distributor of converged IP Solutions, has installed thermal elevated temperature screening solutions from Hikvision to improve the health and safety of their employees and visitors during the Covid-19 pandemic. The system works by automatically checking the forehead skin temperature in real time as employees pass by, maintaining a 2m gap in accordance with UK Government social distancing advice. If a person is over a normal temperature threshold, an audible and visual alarm is given and they will be asked to verify their body temperature using a medical thermometer. If in the future face masks become mandatory, the system can also verify if a visitor or employee is wearing a mask. James Vian, Technical and Training Manager said “The temperature screening solution has been installed in our main reception as well as the warehouse entrances at both the Head Office and our Environ House warehouse. The system includes the Hikvision thermographic bullet and turret cameras with the addition of the Hikvision Blackbody Calibrator that increases the accuracy of the readings from ±0.5°C to ±0.3°C.” Andy Cooper, Supply Chain Director at Mayflex said “It’s a non-contact means of quickly measuring the skin temperature of a person’s forehead, whilst maintaining social distancing in line with current Government guidelines. In doing so, we can reduce the likelihood of someone with an elevated temperature coming into contact with other building occupants. This also reduces the possibility of losing an entire shift for 14 days, ensuring that we can deliver on our customers’ needs even in these challenging times” Andy concluded “It gives me confidence that we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of staff and protecting the business during the coronavirus pandemic.”. n Easy-to-integrate displays for your business application Now launching the Flex series, a new range of monitors developed for demanding commercial & industrial applications ON-DEMAND WEBINAR 14 KIOSK solutionsnews Absen scoops 2020 Red Dot Award for new champion rental staging LED series LED manufacturer Absen has an- nounced they have won the coveted Red Dot Product Design award for their latest rental staging LED solu- tion, the Venus (VN) series. The Red Dot Design Award has become established internationally as one of the most sought-after seals of quality for good design. Established in 1955, the Product Design award is presented to the best products created each year, as decided by a jury of 40 international experts on product innovation. Winners of the award are judged on a range of elements, such as innovation, functionality, quality, and ecological compatibility. Commenting on the winning VN Series, the Red Dot Award’s jury praised “a particularly high flexibility and durability which makes the Venus series universally applicable in various usage scenarios.” “We’re delighted to have been presented a Red Dot award for Product Design,” said Amy Tang, VP of product at Absen. “The VN Series was designed with users in the field in mind every step of the way. Not only does the product deliver a visually stunning performance, it is radically different to what is currently available on the market and will see customers save on weight and cost, without compromising on the performance of the product”. The Venus series is an innovative LED display that has been specifically designed for concerts and festivals due to its ability to create super-sized screens at speed. The product features a highly unique integrated ‘module-on-frame’ design, which has removed the need for a sub-frame and is 27% lighter than competing solutions, allowing creative teams to cut back on weight, save cost and build even bigger LED walls than before – up to 20 metres in height. The series has been designed with the crew’s safety and convenience in mind. With its carbon fibre pipes with anti-slip coatings to ensure safety of climbers, and additional safety hooks so riggers can secure themselves at every step of the building process, as well as the ability to withstand gale force winds of up to level 8 (gale winds up to 74km/h), the VN series is one of the safest rental staging LED solutions on the market. The VN Series is available in two standard sizes: 1,500mm (W) x 1,000mm (H) and 500mm x 1,000mm, in order to allow for fully customised options. It is available in 3.9mm, 4.8mm and 8.3mm pixel pitch versions, boasting up to 5000 nits brightness and black face LED. The VN Series also allows for concave and convex curving options with horizontal free- adjustable variances of -10 to +10 degrees, allowing fixed positioning at -10°, -5°, 0°, +5° and +10°. n KIOSK solutions Please send your news to: Laura Vallis, editor.kiosk@abacus-comms.co.uk BrightSign unveils touchless engagement solutions for retailers and restaurants BrightSign, LLC, has announced BrightLink and BrightMenu to help retailers, restaurants and other businesses safely operate in the face of new health regulations. BrightLink is a new touchless solution that eliminates the need to physically engage with touch-interactive digital signage. By simply scanning a QR code, customers transfer control of the experience to their phones to browse or interact with content as they normally would, eliminating the need for physical contact. BrightMenu uses very similar BrightSign technology, but delivers a one-way experience whereby patrons scan a QR code and receive the restaurant’s menu on their mobile device – no internet connection, no app to download, and no printed menus. “Safely resuming operations requires businesses to reimagine the experience they offer customers, particularly as it relates to any sort of physical engagement,” said Ann Holland, VP of Marketing at BrightSign. “We all want to get back to work, and at BrightSign we especially want to help our partners – retail, higher ed, corporate, hospitality and more – open up for business in as safe a way as possible.” n KIOSK solutions 15A clear distinction needs to be made between kiosks that are part of a security system and kiosks that are subject to security breaches. When discussing kiosk security breaches, one can think of issues on the manufacturing side such as network security, peripheral security or vulnerabilities of applications and devices leading to physically tampering. However the focus in this article is on how kiosks are being deployed to enhance security systems, as this could explicitly add new impulses for the kiosk industry. Self-service kiosks are currently deployed as access control systems in different shapes and sizes. They are used to prevent self-service losses in the retail sector, provide exit checks at for example parking lots or as visitor management kiosks to facilitate the check-in process at hotels or businesses. This industry is rapidly increasing and has been disrupted lately by some new applications. Health Security The spectrum of security solutions in the kiosk industry has lately been broadened by the recent introduction of the Covid-19 pandemic. Health security has been around for some time, but it might well be the next big thing when it comes to kiosk deployment for security purposes. These new kiosk applications all contribute to a more secure and safe environment when it comes to health and hygiene. One can think of temperature or fever checks, mouth mask verification or visitor management kiosks. However visitor management kiosks, that regulate the number of people in a store, will become a common sight on modern streetscapes. Visitor Management As lock-down and regulations are ending, the leisure, entertainment and food sector is facing many challenges when it comes to visitor When it comes to kiosks or other self-service solutions, security is a much-discussed topic with manufacturers, integrators and kiosk deployers. Securing public spaces By Dion Hofsté Innovation Engineer Pan Oston www.panoston.co.uk 16 KIOSK solutions16 KIOSK solutions16 KIOSK solutions securitymanagement. Everyone has been eager to get out there again after being locked down for a long time, potentially resulting in crowded bars, restaurants and shops, making obeying and enforcing social distancing rules impossible. With legislation stating that the shops, restaurants, cinemas and suchlike will have to manage the number of visitors in their venues, they are all looking for a solution. That’s where visitor management kiosks could come into play. These kiosks can be placed at the entrance of each public place to count incoming and outgoing visitors. Via for example LED communication, the user is informed whether or not it is allowed to enter the site. This not only protects the visitor, but your company and employees as well. When managing the amount of visitors in your store, one could quickly get immersed into the world of access control. There are numerous parties involved in this business and things could security KIOSK solutions 17KIOSK solutions 17KIOSK solutions 17get a bit overwhelming. It’s important to take your time to get to know the basics of access and entrance control to be well prepared to find the right solution for your needs. Access vs control Access control can be described as a means of controlling who enters a certain location at a given time. This location can either be physical or virtual. Physical access can be provided to a building, a public space, or other physical area, while virtual access can be provided to digital resources or computer networks. For the moment, we’ll focus on physical access control, because this suits the visitor management challenge best. Access control: identification and authentication Access control is the term to describe systems that identify users by means of authentication of their credentials. These credentials distinguish a user from others and is used in different ways: • Something the user has • Something the user knows • Something the user is Something the user has could be a transponder such as barcode cards, NFC cards, key fobs or smartphones. Something the user knows might be a password or personal identification number (PIN) or something the user is can include biometric properties. Biometric properties are a unique characteristic of the human body like fingerprints, iris scanning or face recognition. Whenever a user is identified, an authentication check should be fulfilled. Does the user have the required access rights to enter this restricted area on this moment? In order to get to know the user’s access rights, the access control system should consult a database to verify whether or not someone is allowed into that area. This database could either be stored locally or on cloud locations. fitting the current coronavirus related challenges, while acting as a future-proof solution security 18 KIOSK solutionsKIOSK solutions 19 Biometric properties are a unique characteristic of the human body like fingerprints, iris scanning or face recognition Entrance control: providing access If access control is the system that decides whether or not someone is allowed to enter a restricted area, entrance control is the system that actually carries out that decision. Entrance control can be seen as the feedback to the users identification action. An entrance control system either opens or closes an entryway. It does so by making use of either a physical barrier or a virtual barrier. • Physical barriers: passgates, turnstiles, guard • Virtual barriers: traffic light, optical beam (e.g.infrared, laser), LCD communication The physical barriers actually block users from crossing a threshold with motorised gates for example, while virtual or invisible barriers could trigger an alarm when an unauthorised person crosses the threshold. Finding the system for you In order to find the best visitor management kiosk for your needs, it is important to formulate your wishes with regard to access control systems. A visitor management kiosk does not have to tick all the boxes of an access control system as it’s not necessarily required to truly identify each visitor. Counting the number of visitors in store is sufficient for this application. However, when you decide you do want to identify each visitor, it could result in valuable visitor analytics information for the long term. The current coronavirus induced challenges may help you identify how these systems can benefit you in the future. A minimum viable product to secure a healthy environment could consist of a customer counter as the access control part working together with a virtual barrier for the entrance control part. An MVP like this can be expanded with multiple modules over time: • Physical barriers • LCD screens • Digital signage • Disinfectant dispensers • Health screening applications • Visitor analytics When these modules are integrated into the MVP solution, it creates a comprehensive multi-functional product that not only fits the current coronavirus related challenges, but also acts as a future-proof solution. The system can therefore serve different purposes in a post-coronavirus era. n securityNext >