Our Head of Corporate Development Selina Lim has recently contributed an article to the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association (APREA) on how Acclivis is leveraging on AI and robotics to help the real estate industry position for recovery in the pandemic times.

Covid-19: Using AI and robotics to position for recovery

First published by the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association, July 2020

By Selina Lim, Head of Corporate Development and Marketing

IN just under six months, the coronavirus has dramatically altered businesses, economies and livelihoods.

At this moment, no one knows how long the virus will persist but life must still go on. As businesses and borders gradually re-open, the priority is to ensure the safety of people so as to maintain business and workplace continuity.

At Acclivis, we have leveraged on AI and robotics to help real estate players and even healthcare organisations maintain operational resilience and reposition for recovery. In this article, we share some of the ways that office buildings, malls and even hotels may transform in a Covid-world.

Intelligent visitor management

The ‘new normal’ in a Covid-era has meant that anything contactless is in. When entering a mall or building, the enforcement of temperature screenings, SafeEntry check-ins/outs and wearing of a face mask are ubiquitous.

At Acclivis, we have pioneered an Intelligent Visitor Management Solution using the Acclivis FR Thermal Scan powered by AI and machine learning.

Gone are the days where visitors have to register at front-desks and spend time waiting to get an entry card. With embedded facial recognition functions, the Acclivis FR Thermal Scan can be placed at the gantries in different parts of a building to provide secure access into buildings and manage visitor flow.

Multi-racial facial recognition, even when a face mask is worn, allows the device to be used broadly across different types of buildings.

Where temperatures are still being taken manually, the thermal scan function in the device allows for contactless, quick and accurate temperature screening, protecting building management teams from coming into contact with potential coronavirus carriers. The device then issues alerts when a fever is detected and further serves as an enforcement tool by sending out an alert when a face mask is not worn.

All check-ins/outs are synced with the SafeEntry app, offering convenience to visitors and compliance with government regulations.

Contact Tracing

Besides a contactless visitor management system, contact tracing is also made possible through our solution.

In combination with facial recognition, video analytics and CCTV surveillance cameras that are installed in buildings, we can identify and trace visitor movement and trajectory within a building, up to an accuracy of 1 metre. A Companion Analysis is then done to match co-relation data between any suspected carrier and the people that he has come into contact with.

Once the Companion Analysis is done, a Contract Tracing Report can be generated in real-time on the suspected visitors’ interaction with others. Proximity time parameters can be configured between a time range of 5s – 30s to suit different organisations’ expectations.

Beyond offices, malls and hotels, such a solution is currently being explored in an initial pilot test for a large healthcare organisation in Singapore. The goal is to protect its medical workers from coming into contact with the coronavirus, as statistics show that healthcare workers face the highest contagion risk infections, especially those who have prolonged exposure to crowds in confined spaces.

In high human density areas and environments that present a higher risk of infections, robots can be deployed (as seen below) to perform temperature scans. They can therefore be effective in large hospitals, dormitories and even warehouses to name a few examples.

Closing

Covid-19 has essentially accelerated the trend of deploying smart building solutions. Technology services companies like Acclivis sit at the forefront of these changes by using AI, robotics and other integrated applications to transform visitor management. Our expertise lies in the systems integration of several complex technologies, offering infinite possibilities to change the way citizens live, work and play. While the real estate sector in Asia has been booming, it has generally been slow in adopting smart building solutions. The time has perhaps come for the industry to step up and embrace these solutions. With vision, imagination and action, we are optimistic that the real estate sector can harness technology to its benefit and emerge stronger from the pandemic.

DISCLAIMER: Acclivis and our staff are not authorised or qualified to guide or influence you in the preparation of your business continuity plans from a health and public policy perspective. Companies are advised to follow the health and public policy guidelines in your respective country or state.