Travelling Safe During COVID-19 Pandemic: Hyderabad International Airport Comes Up With Contactless Elevators

Hyderabad: The GMR led Hyderabad International Airport has executed a pilot project of turning an elevator at the departures level from traditional push-button controls to safer touch-less alternative heightening passenger safety in view of COVID-19 pandemic. The airport has developed an ingenious solution of touch-less elevator control system, which is based on Infrared technology. As part of the local engineering innovation for creating rapid solutions to complex problems, the developers have used an array of infrared sensors to detect the spatial position of the user’s fingers as they pass through the sensing plane.

Piloted at one of the elevators at the departures level, the users of that elevator can now wave their hands closer to the sensor to call the elevator at any floor they are standing. Once inside the elevator, they can point their finger towards a floor number as a command for a designated floor.

Also Read: COVID-19: Hyderabad International Airport Gets ‘Mass Fever Screening System’

The sensor can detect interaction from a distance of 0.1-10 cm from the button surface to enable users to make their selection with absolutely no physical contact.

With the successful culmination of the pilot project, the airport is going ahead with enabling of all passenger facing elevators across the airport terminal building for this automation.

Also Read: IIT Hyderabad Researcher Develops AI-Powered Low-Cost, Point Of Care COVID-19 Testing Kit

According to the press statement, the airport is known for its many innovative technology-friendly and digital measures for passenger convenience and is also a fully e-boarding enabled airport.

Other measures also include, zero-contact and fully sanitized services like self-check-in kiosks, tech-enabled entry gates, self-baggage drop, virtual information desk for passengers, UV enabled disinfection of Automatic Tray Retrieval Systems (ATRS) at the pre-embarkation security screening zones, UV ovens at the retail outlets, touchless drinking water fountains and inline disinfection of departure and arrival baggage trolleys, washrooms among others, the airport said in a statement.

Also Read: COVID Warriors: Hyderabad Based NGO Is Providing Free Oxygen Cylinders To COVID-19 Patients In Home Isolation

The airport is handling over 20,000 domestic passengers daily, which is over six times the passenger footfall of about 3000, when the airport recommenced on May 25.

The airport is also handling over 200 daily domestic air traffic movements, which is five times of about 40 air traffic movements taking place in the first few weeks of resumption of the domestic operations. The airport has also restored close to 93 per cent of its domestic destinations having gained back 51 domestic destinations out of 55 pre-COVID domestic destinations.

Also Read: Part Of Hyderabad Mosque Turned Into Community Health Care Centre, Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) 

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.