Quadrocopter touts eClear as new security measure during pandemic

Quadrocopter and eConnect have teamed up to deliver a new level of security for businesses in the Flathead and beyond as the COVID-19 pandemic continues

Columbia Falls-based Quadrocopter is the area’s exclusive carrier of eConnect’s new eClear device, a tablet-based system with a hands-free integrated infrared thermometer that will allow businesses to screen both customers and employees.

“It’s a nice, hands-free way of doing what a lot of places are already doing as far as health checks,” Quadrocopter’s Mike DiGrandi said. “This way, people don’t have to get a thermometer stuck in their faces by people wearing masks.”

The fully automated system features a touch-free infrared temperature scanner accurate to within 0.65 degrees Fahrenheit, facial recognition and time-clock software, the ability to determine if the person being scanned is wearing a mask and occupancy tracking software.

The device also has the ability to send out alerts if a person is found to have a fever.

Henry Valentino, president and CEO of Las Vegas-based eConnect and director of sales for Quadrocopter, said the idea for the device came about while eConnect was working on a system that would allow casinos to track gamblers in their establishments. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Valentino came up with the idea of adding temperature scanners to their devices.

“When checking temperature became important, we began wondering if that same device could have a thermal scanner attached to it. After a little work, that’s how this product came into being,” he said. “We saw one casino installing $25,000 thermal scanners at all of its entrances and our immediate thought was that not everyone is going to be able to pay that much to put in scanners at their businesses. So, we set to work to quickly come up with the same kind of system, but with a much smaller footprint and cost.”

A tablet system measuring 6 by 14 inches, the eClear device is available for $3,600.

Valentino said the overall consumer response for the eClear device has been greater than he anticipated, but DiGrandi said no units have been sold in the Flathead Valley yet.

“Some places have told us that it is just too much red tape to deal with. They said if someone comes into work without a mask, they are just letting it go,” DiGrandi said. “They say it causes too much hostility and they don’t want to deal with it.”

While sales in the Flathead Valley have been slow, Valentino said that, after having his temperature scanned by the National Guard at the airport, he is hoping government entities might look into the device’s potential.

“The problem with them taking everyone’s temperature by hand is that the person doing it has to get close to everyone. If they do come across someone who is infected, then it is much more likely that they will pass it on to everyone else they scan,” Valentino said. “The eClear device would eliminate the need for that kind of close contact.”

While both Valentino and DiGrandi said they hope the need for temperature scanning devices in the workplace is only temporary, they are happy to be able to provide a device that can help employers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It doesn’t seem like COVID is going away as quickly as we would like for it to. We have so much tourism here in Montana, so many people coming through from out of town and out of state, that it is very hard to limit contact with people you do not know,” Valentino said. “If you own a place that has a lot of employees that are coming and going, this device just makes sense. It’s not an inconvenience and it’s easy to use.”

Reporter Jeremy Weber may be reached at 758-4446 or jweber@dailyinterlake.com.