English Premiership rugby club Wasps has installed a heat camera at its Broadstreet training facility near Coventry, as part of efforts to help safeguard players, staff and visitors as they return to training during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The camera is located at the main entrance to the training ground and will screen the body temperature of everyone coming in. Signs around the club will tell visitors about the camera and what it’s for.

Supplied by Vodafone, the camera combines thermal imaging and Vodafone’s Internet of Things (IoT) technology to screen the temperature of people as they enter buildings, and quickly analyse the results.

The camera can check the temperature of up to 100 people per minute, with thermal images being streamed securely and in real-time to a laptop or mobile device where instant analytics provide a discreet alert that a person may have a raised temperature.

These alerts should then be further investigated using standard clinical evaluation methods, in order to determine whether any further action is necessary. IoT provides reliable and secure connectivity and enables standalone installation with no additional IT requirements.

The installation of the camera comes as Premiership rugby clubs return to non-contact training. The training is, however, subject to social distancing, daily screening, cleaning and hygiene requirements.

“The heat detection camera will be a useful tool in helping to safely reopen our facilities, and to provide reassurance to our staff, players and visitors that we are providing as safe an environment as we can," said Stephen Vaughan, CEO of Wasps Group.

Ali James, the club's head of physiotherapy, added: “The camera will be an important part of the toolkit in helping our players get back to training. It’s vital that the players, staff and visitors to our training facility know that all available measures are being implemented by the club to enhance safety across the site."

The camera is part of Vodafone UK’s Enhanced Smart Vision Portfolio and comes with a laptop and tablet, full installation, and a 24/7 secure managed service to cater for organisations with extended working hours.