NEC unit unveils 'mirror thermometer'

BY SHU NOMURA STAFF WRITER

2011/01/17

The Thermo Mirror produced by NEC Avio Infrared Technologies Co. displays the brow temperature seconds after a person looks into it. (Shu Nomura)

Feeling feverish? Taking your temperature can now be as easy as looking in the mirror.

The Thermo Mirror, marketed by NEC Avio Infrared Technologies Co., measures the forehead temperature using infrared sensors.

The user's face must be within 30 centimeters of the device for two seconds. It buzzes an alarm if the temperature is higher than normal.

Since there is no touching required, the device is considered useful to fight the spread of influenza and other diseases. It also displays the time and room temperature when idle.

The device uses the same mechanism as thermographic imaging sensors used at airports to screen arriving passengers for signs of fever.

The thermographic machines used at airports read a full human figure and cost around 1 million yen ($12,000), while NEC Avio's Thermo Mirror costs much less at 102,900 yen and 126,000 yen, including tax.