Wearing face masks is a crucial new norm that today’s consumers and workers are getting used to.

We know face masks can substantially reduce the transmission of aerosol-borne viruses, but sometimes people forget to wear them properly (or at all).

For a safe return to work, it’s critical that businesses can determine whether an individual is wearing a face mask.

Real-time, AI-based video analytics at edge devices like optical cameras help you detect whether an individual is wearing their face mask properly. Doing so also provides assurance that your business can conform to relevant health guidelines.

See how edge computing is used to analyze face mask usage without jeopardizing the identity of anyone in the image:

Explore other use cases

• Crowd density measurement
• Elevated body temperature monitoring
• Social distancing scoring

Here’s how it works

IBM Edge Application Manager places analytical workloads with edge-enabled cameras that can recognize face masks and determine if they’re being worn effectively—all without compromising the identity or security of anyone in the image to the analytics platform.

Since analysis is performed at the camera, the video data and individual privacy are protected. You avoid the expense of transmitting, storing, or analyzing that image data any further.

Alerts are sent every time the camera detects an improperly worn or non-existent face mask. Then, it sends the aggregated data back to the IBM Maximo Worker Insights platform, allowing you to highlight face-mask activity in your facilities.

Edge-enabled technology like this helps you protect your workers and customers as you safely rejuvenate your business.

Ready to learn more? Find out how IBM help you act on insights closer to the source of data, and accelerate your safe return to work.