The sensing solutions company FLIR has introduced sensors to trigger pedestrian crossings, meaning people don’t need to touch a button anymore.

The company says this reduces the risk of virus transmission, clearly a major issue around Coronavirus, and reduces the risk of large crowds breaking social distancing regulations.

“Pedestrian crossings usually have physical push-buttons to alert the traffic light system that someone needs to cross the road, and just one of those buttons could be touched by hundreds (if not thousands) of hands a day, making them a hot-bed for germs and viruses,” the Company says in a statement.

The TrafiOne uses thermal imaging to detect pedestrians and cyclists based on their temperature signatures, meaning it doesn’t need any natural or artificial light to function, and can provide uninterrupted, 24-hour detection of pedestrians and bicyclists.

When implemented, sensors automatically detect pedestrians waiting to cross the road and alerts the traffic light system. It can detect if a group of people is waiting, and if the group is too large will send a signal to the lights to change sooner and let pedestrians cross so too many people aren’t in too small a space.