ROME, Italy — Engineers at Rome's Fiumicino Airport were testing a new "smart helmet" on Tuesday which allows passengers' temperatures to be scanned while they're moving. It's part of a series of safety measures to protect people from COVID-19 when flights resume.
The high-tech helmet visor has thermo-scan sensors which provide information about the temperature of passengers within a 23-foot radius.
Security officers can wear the devices to scan people as they enter the airport or wait in line.
An infrared image of a passenger and their temperature reading appears inside the visor on the right. This allows normal view through the left eye.
Simonluca Tiberia, who's in charge of testing and deploying smart helmet technology, said Fiumicino -- officially known as Leonardo da Vinci International Airport -- would be the first airport in Europe to use it.
Authorities hope the high-tech temperature scans and other health measures will convince people that it's safe to fly again once restrictions on travel are lifted.
Fiumicino currently has a small number of flights from Rome to other parts of Italy and to destinations in a number of European countries. Authorities hope there'll be a significant increase in flights from next month.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The vast majority of people recover.
