China is Using Helmets with Smart Scanners to Fight Coronavirus

China has a new weapon in the fight against the virus — some police officers and Covid-19 response personnel are now using high-tech smart helmets that automatically scan the temperatures of pedestrians within a five-meter range.

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The high-tech headgear is called Smart Helmet N901. It has an infrared camera that sets off an alarm if someone nearby has a fever, as well as built-in facial-recognition technology, displaying personal data of detected citizens on a screen inside.

Here’s a video of it in action (note it’s from a Chinese state media outlet):

Officers in some Chinese cities are using the dystopian device to fight the spread of the coronavirus as people start to return to their daily lives.

In a video by China News, two officers in Chengdu are seen screening passing shoppers to check if their body temperatures measure above 37.3 degrees Celsius.

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The helmet was developed by tech company Kuang-Chi in the southern city of Shenzhen, where police this week started using it to inspect drivers entering the city’s borders.

According to the company, the apparatus was produced specifically to aid in the battle against the coronavirus.