ABU DHABI 19 June 2020: In a world first, Abu Dhabi Airports has partnered with Meta Touch, a UAE company, to deploy new touchless technology across 53 elevators at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), helping to prevent cross-infection from interacting with elevator buttons and enable a Covid-19-free airport environment.
The new technology, Tchk (Touch-less Keypad Technology), was designed and manufactured by Meta Touch, a start-up based at the UAE University Science and Innovation Park (UAEU SIP), which develops innovative solutions designed to support health and safety. Tchk is a touchless control panel that allows users to command an elevator without physically pressing any buttons, by simply waving their hands in front of the panel to indicate the desired floor or direction.
Shareef Hashim Al Hashmi, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “The installation of the new technology across our elevators at Abu Dhabi International Airport is a significant development in ensuring the safety of all our guests and travellers. This innovative technology bolsters the extensive safety measures our company has implemented as a regional leader in the airports sector.
This new technology follows the recent introduction of CoDi BOT UGV robots designed to support with the sterilisation of staff areas, cargo facilities, and passenger aircraft cabins, as well SterixGates sterilisation booths designed to safely disinfect a person within as little as three seconds.
Other new technologies developed to contain Covid-19 at Abu Dhabi International Airport include thermal scanning cameras that incorporate the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, as well cameras with facial recognition capabilities and heat motion sensors to track the movements of people, including those potentially infected with Covid-19.
The new measures are being implemented alongside the existing extensive range of preventative measures in place at Abu Dhabi International Airport, which include nasal swabbing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, as well as other measures recommended by the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP).
