UV camera hand hygiene analysis: hand-washing quality measured as a percentageIn a hospital, hand hygiene is measured with a fluorescent solution under UV light and an industrial camera: AI reports how well each region was cleaned as a percentage and in cm².2024-12-10
Hand-washing quality is usually judged by eye and subjectively, yet areas like finger gaps, thumbs and wrists are often missed. For a hospital, Hype Vision developed a turnkey system that measures hand hygiene objectively — taking on the whole solution from the device's mechanical design to the industrial camera and UV lighting and on to the AI analysis. Staff apply a fluorescent training solution and present their hands to the device under blue-purple (UV) light; the system separates the areas the solution covers (cleaned) from those missed and reports the cleanliness rate as a percentage.
The problem: why hand hygiene could not be measured
In hand-washing training, quality is mostly judged by eye and varies from person to person. Critical areas such as fingertips, finger gaps, thumbs and wrists are often missed, but that gap is not visible to the naked eye.
The hospital wanted to move hand-hygiene quality from subjective observation to an objective, repeatable and logged measurement.
The solution: UV imaging + AI (end-to-end Hype Vision)
Hype Vision developed the device's mechanical design, the industrial camera inside it, the UV (blue-purple) lighting and the AI that processes the image — together. Staff apply the fluorescent solution to their hands; under UV light the areas with solution glow. The model separates the glowing (solution applied = cleaned) areas from the dark (missed) areas pixel by pixel.
The result appears in seconds: coverage percentage for the left hand, right hand and total, the missed areas and a separate percentage for each region (palm, fingers, back of hand, wrist).
- Device + camera + UV lighting + AI from one source (Hype Vision)
- Pixel-level split of applied vs missed area
- Coverage percentage for left/right hand and total
- Separate score for palm, fingers, back of hand, wrist
Measured output — an example scan
Every scan produces an objective report. In an example measurement the system reports the overall cleanliness rate, total hand area (cm²), covered and missed area (cm²) and per-region percentages — so it is clear which area needs washing again.
Values vary by scan and person; the system computes the percentage and cm² directly from the image rather than estimating.
- Overall and per-hand coverage percentage
- Covered / missed area (cm²)
- Per-region score (e.g. palm > finger gaps)
- Missed areas marked on the image
High-volume scanning and analytics
The system is designed for fast scanning: a person presents their hands and the result appears in seconds. At this hospital around 120 staff are screened per shift; each scan takes seconds and is logged with a timestamp.
Over time a trend builds by person, unit and region: which team misses which area most often becomes visible, and training is directed accordingly. (Daily scan capacity scales with the facility.)
- Result in seconds per scan
- ~120 staff screened per shift
- Timestamped log and per-person/unit/region trend
- Training needs identified from data
Privacy and deployment
Analysis runs on-premise; video does not leave the facility. The system analyses hands; any identity mapping is set up at the facility's discretion and with data-protection duties defined together.
Outcome
Hand-hygiene quality moved from subjective observation to an objective, repeatable measurement. How well each region was cleaned is logged as a percentage and in cm², and training is directed by data and personalised.
- Objective, repeatable hand-hygiene measurement
- Per-region gaps made visible
- End-to-end Hype Vision solution, from device to analysis
- Continuous improvement with timestamped logs and trends
Frequently asked questions
How does the system measure hand-washing?
A fluorescent training solution is applied to the hands; under UV (blue-purple) light the areas with solution glow. An industrial camera captures the image and AI separates the glowing (cleaned) from the dark (missed) areas to compute the coverage percentage.
Did Hype Vision build the device too?
Yes. The device's mechanical design, the industrial camera inside it, the UV lighting and the AI analysis were all developed end-to-end by Hype Vision.
How long does a result take?
A person presents their hands and the coverage percentage appears in seconds, so many people can be screened quickly at shift start.
Where is it used?
Anywhere hand hygiene is critical: hospitals, food production and pharma/cosmetics plants — for both training and periodic auditing.
