The demand for touchless tech is on the rise

If you’re like me, then you’d probably never considered that we’d be hit by a truly global pandemic in our lifetime, but there we have it: 2020 (and beyond – so far!). It’s changed the way we do things in so many ways, even opening and closing a door or pushing a button to summon someone over a security system is now given some thought as to how we avoid actually touching the object. It’s a regular sight to see someone trying to turn a door handle with their jumper pulled over their hand to avoid contact or spraying an ATM keypad with antibac before attempting the hazardous task of drawing money out. If there’s one thing we’ve seen at Zicam in the last year, it’s the rise in demand for touchless technology.

Demand for ‘no-touch’ technology

We’ve seen a keen interest for no-touch technology across the board, but in particular with access control, and that’s been across all sectors that we work with. The demand has been driven by the need to reduce the amount of contact with ‘high touch’ areas like surfaces, common shared objects like an elevator panel, and equipment such as call buttons. Not only that, but there’s also been an interest in using access control to avoid congesting an area unnecessarily – all things we’d never considered in the good old days of 2019!

The technology has been around for a number of years. We first saw the rise of fingerprint access control around a decade ago. It became particularly popular on building sites where there is a huge focus on health and safety. Fingerprint access control was fitted on the entrance turnstiles to limit entry to one person at a time – it also acted as a sign-in method in case of an incident on site, a report could confirm who had gone through the turnstile and was therefore still on site. The only problem was that, at a construction site, there were quite a few scraped and cut fingers and dusty or viscous substances that could blur a fingerprint and render the technology unreliable.

Since then, of course, we’ve come a long way. Access scanners can now use retina scans or facial recognition software (aka biometric readers) and even temperature detection as a means of monitoring and regulating access to site. In addition to biometric technology we’ve also seen a rise in demand for contactless card readers and contactless exit systems that use an infrared sensor to open an exit door when the user swipes their hand in front of the sensor.

Gates and barriers upgrade to ANPR technology

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology is brilliant for providing a ‘no-touch’ system for visitors and for regulating the number of vehicles on your premises. It also provides the driver with fuss-free easy access. ANPR uses smart cameras instead of a traditional card reader or push-button security system. The camera monitors every vehicle that attempts to enter the site, scans the number plate and allows access to only those vehicles with authorised plates. Great for regulating the number of vehicles on site and for the security of knowing that each vehicle has approval to be there.

ANPR is also good for weekend pick-ups or deliveries. With the registration plate pre-approved and entered into the system, the delivery vehicle can enter the site easily and without having to wait for approval from the costly weekend security guard. This can happen any time of the day or night; CCTV doesn’t sleep, so your business can keep running 24/7.

Interested in touchless technology for your site?

This kind of technology is definitely here to stay. Not only that it’s constantly being developed so we’ll be seeing next generation tech emerging pretty soon. If it’s something that you’re interested in for your business premises, give us a call and we’ll be happy to talk to you about the benefits of any of the technology available on the market.

Andy Moseley, Project Manager, Zicam Integrated Security Limited.

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