Neighborhood sends drone to check people’s temperature at their windows

How do you check the temperature of people under self-quarantine at home without actually going to visit? A neighborhood in China’s eastern city of Nanjing has a novel solution: Drones.

A video published by Chinese media The Paper shows a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual equipped with a thermal sensor checking temperatures outside windows. Through a speaker attached to the top of the drone, an operator on the ground asks people to open their windows and stand by while it checks. A community manager said in the video that the thermal sensor is as accurate as a normal infrared thermometer. But in another video, a community staff member said there could be inaccuracies because of the drone’s fan, the weather and the measuring distance. DJI said it recommends using professional medial equipment when checking a person's temperature to reduce inaccuracies.

During the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, China is also using drones to spray disinfectant on streets and to shame people for public gatherings through speakers.