July 27, 2021—The International Security Conference and Exposition, known as ISC West, converged in Las Vegas, NV, on July 19-21, 2021. This tradeshow took place for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the nation in 2020, causing mask mandates, travel bans, and limited gatherings of 10 or less. The ISC West tradeshow of 2021 brought a welcomed and thriving community of thousands of security and safety professionals. The tradeshow offered up and explored all there is to showcase in the world of access control, video surveillance, public safety, AI, IT, and robotics.

A few staff members of E-LINE and DIRAK, Inc. were able to attend ISC West, and with them brought back a few key trends in the sector of electronic access control. A poignant trend within access control that revolves and responds to the 2020 pandemic and the impact it will forever hold on our futures is “Touchless Technology.”

An ISC West attendant and exhibitor, Suprema, a security and biometrics company, has released a new technology called “X-Station 2” and “FaceStation F2.” This touchless technology features face mask detection and a thermal camera. These creations control and limit access to areas if face masks are not present and if an elevated temperature is detected. These touchless access features will aid our future in continuing to help deter the spread of COVID-19 and even the common cold.

Similarly, exhibitor Dortronics promoted their “Request to Exit Motion Sensing Door Release” door handles, knobs, and bars. These high-touch areas can hold onto thousands of particles of bacteria that pass from hand to hand. Therefore, with the technology to automatically open and close a door upon arrival at a sensor, this is a touchless solution that will keep germs at bay. Dortronics also featured their “Touchless Proximity Switch,” which, similarly to the “Request to Exit Motion Sensing Door Release,” activates a switch with a sensor that detects motion. A simple wave of a hand will activate the switch and provide yet another “touchless tech” option to support our worldwide health and safety goal.

With a clear message that our future technology can and will be “touch-free,” the world of access control is only growing more profoundly and with more creativity and security. We look forward and are eager to see these life-changing technologies utilized in everyday life and cannot wait to see what trends ISC West 2022 brings.