Abu Dhabi Airports has partnered with Meta Touch, a ground breaking UAE company, to deploy 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.
Abu Dhabi Airports? investment in this state-of-the-art technology is the result of the airport group?s commitment to containing the spread of COVID-19 and ensuring that its airports and facilities remain safe and healthy environments for passengers, staff and visitors. The airport group is continually refining its health and safety procedures to enable a safe, smooth and seamless travel experience for all passengers, in line with the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports.
Shareef Hashim Al Hashmi, CEO 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.
Dr Fady Al Najjar, associate professor at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) and CEO of Meta Touch, added, ?At Meta Touch, we were keen to quickly design, test, and manufacture technology that can protect public health and fight the spread of COVID-19. These new devices are designed to be easy to install on any elevator, enabling companies to quickly introduce this additional protection against the virus. We are proud to introduce Tchk for the first time across the globe at Abu Dhabi International Airport, and will continue to support the nation in overcoming this outbreak.?
Dr Nihel Charbak, CEO of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) Science and Innovation Park, stated, ?In these unprecedented times, to help in the fight against COVID 19, the UAEU Science and Innovation Park would like to lead the way to translating academic knowledge and scientific research into commercially viable applications to address the increasingly complex challenges we are facing because of the pandemic. The UAEU was always a driving force helping implement the extraordinary vision of the country's leadership and building national capabilities. Meta Touch is a local company raised by researchers and students from UAEU to provide safer everyday life for everyone in the UAE.?
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.
