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Pix Force and UFRGS combining design and technology in the fight against Covid. The CoviDesign project (learn more about the project HERE) was born within the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and aims to create and design solutions in design for one of the groups most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic: liberal and self-employed professionals, micro and small business owners, startups, and other informal professionals. Thus, the idea of combining design and technology in a partnership with Pix Force was also born. The chosen product was Pix Thermo, Pix Force's automatic solution that assists in the screening of individuals through body temperature measurement, and is already helping to ensure the safety of workers in both commerce and industry. The project is coordinated by UFRGS professor Gilberto Consoni and, in this partnership with Pix Force, the team was led by designer Cristiane Hahner and composed of UFRGS Product Design students Isadora Wolfart Pinheiro, Guilherme Souza Purri, and Ana Luísa Griebler Menezes.
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The project
Formed by a team of professors, undergraduate and graduate students, CoviDesign is a way to bring the public university closer to the population. On a completely voluntary basis, the project team works directly on the creation and production of design solutions for those most affected by the pandemic. The main mission is to help professionals who suffered from the abrupt interruption of their routine due to safety measures against Covid-19. These professionals are, mainly: freelancers, self-employed, informal workers, micro and small entrepreneurs, and startups. The project's vision consists of delivering these solutions in the very short term so that these professionals can ensure the continuity of their activities during the period of isolation and quarantine. Finally, this is a project guided by the values of uniting university knowledge production with market economic production. This is done by joining the fundamentals and techniques of design with Brazilian entrepreneurs. CoviDesign is based on three main pillars: Digital Marketing, Business, and Health. For the first, the intention is to offer strategic digital positioning solutions for products and services, especially on social networks. In the Business pillar, alternatives are offered for delivery and payment processes of products and services sold digitally. And for Health, safety guidelines are proposed for production, distribution, and receipt processes of products and services. It is noted, then, that the union of design and technology is already in the essence of the project.
A partnership is born
That's where Pix Force comes in. But what could justify the partnership between a computer vision startup and a design project? Pix Thermo (learn more about Pix Thermo HERE)! One of the most recent solutions proposed by Pix Force in the context of the pandemic, Pix Thermo is an automatic and 100% safe body temperature measurement tool. The biggest differentiator of this solution is that it is touchless, meaning it does not require any touch for the temperature to be measured. This happens thanks to specific thermal sensors that measure temperature through facial recognition. In addition to providing an accurate measurement in seconds, Pix Thermo does not require an operator, making temperature screening safer for everyone. The temperature is displayed on the screen, and the individual can proceed if the number is considered appropriate. Otherwise, an alert is issued and a recommendation is shown on the screen for the individual to seek medical attention. The first drafts show the evolution of the project, as the main feature of Pix Force is the absence of touching buttons, screens, or commands. One of the biggest challenges was to create a model that accommodated the most varied heights, since one of Pix Thermo's potentials is the ability to measure the temperature of about 12 people per minute.
Why Pix Thermo?
Above all, Pix Thermo is a safe method to ensure the safety of employees and collaborators during the resumption of activities in industries, businesses, and other sectors. It is used as an aid in screening individuals at entrances and gates by measuring temperature. This is one of the official government recommendations, as stated in Joint Ordinance No. 20, published on June 18. For this reason, two messages are displayed on the device's screen, according to the measured temperature: one authorizing the employee to proceed with entry and one recommending medical help, in the case of a fever. Another challenge was ensuring that Pix Thermo was accessible, in addition to accommodating different height variations. With a simple and intuitive design, Pix Thermo can be easily used by anyone. Just bring your face close to the sensor for your temperature to be taken in seconds. To make it even easier, an explanatory message is displayed on the home screen, guiding the individual to approach the sensor. After that, a face silhouette is displayed for the user to fit their face, enabling facial recognition. Finally, the temperature is measured, and authorization or alert messages are displayed, finishing the consultation. This entire process is completed in just a few seconds.
Present and future
Thinking about the present, the partnership between the CoviDesign team and Pix Force proves that design and technology are great allies. For the future, the innovative and bold design of Pix Thermo also allows the other potentialities of this solution to be implemented. Among them, the use of computer vision to identify the use of PPE and masks; reading identity documents and badges in reception areas; and other solutions using computer vision and artificial intelligence, Pix Force's main areas of expertise, stand out. Another major advantage of the success of this partnership, as well as others provided by the CoviDesign project, is the general public's access to production from the public University. The democratization of the knowledge produced by the university community for entrepreneurs is fundamental so that free, high-quality public higher education is increasingly recognized and valued by the population. The initiative represents a harmonization between research and the market, in addition to the social responsibility with the professionals most impacted by the pandemic.
Fabio Caraça
Fábio Caraça is the Chief Growth Officer at Pix Force. He leads Pix Force's transformation into a scalable SaaS operation, combining strategic vision, culture, and high-impact execution.
