Researchers from Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed technology for enforcing social distancing guidelines in public spaces amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MonoLoco is a 3D detecting device that features a repurposed algorithm, originally designed for the self-driving vehicle space to enable vehicles to detect pedestrians and other vehicles. Instead of vehicles and pedestrians, the technology now detects people in shared spaces, according to developers.

Attached to a camera, smartphone or video recorder, the MonoLoco calculates the dimensions of human silhouettes and the distances between them to determine if a distance of roughly 5 ft is maintained.

Instead of capturing images of the subjects and storing that data, the MonoLoco keeps subjects anonymous as their silhouettes are rendered via lines and dots and the distance between subjects is measured between joints (knees, shoulders, hips and wrists).

The algorithm, which is being eyed for offices, factories, restaurants, retail and public transportation, is detailed in IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems and will be presented at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), which is held in June.

To see how the MonoLoco works, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of EPFL.