Touchless Turnstiles and ADA (Handicap Accessible) Gates

What is a Touchless Turnstile?

A touchless turnstile can refer to a turnstile or ADA compliant handicap gate that allows for contactless operation. Touchless turnstiles and gates use technology like optical beam detection and motorized opening/closing to fully automate the entry process. Users can pass through these hands-free turnstile lanes without ever touching them: helping to drastically reduce the risk of COVID-19 and other pathogenic spread.

Optical turnstiles and motorized ADA compliant swing gates are the two types of touchless turnstiles currently offered in the access control market. With motorized barriers, these turnstiles and gates do not require any user contact to open and close. Integrated with temperature check, facial recognition, proximity scanners, or other access control software, these turnstiles and gates can achieve fully touchless functionality. In fact, every turnstile and gate currently offered by Hayward Turnstiles integrates seamlessly with most access control software and credential checking devices available on the market.

Benefits of Touchless Turnstiles and Contactless Entrances

1. Helps reduce virus spread at the door: Implementing touchless turnstiles at your entryway helps to prevent cross-contamination at your facility’s highest trafficked areas by eliminating the need to touch anything upon entry.
2. Improves entrance security: Contactless turnstiles and gates provide the hands-free functionality you require to help reduce cross-contamination without compromising entrance security. These units detect passage with optical beams and prevent passage with lane barriers made of glass, metal, and other comparable materials.
3. Helps increase throughput efficiency: No-touch turnstiles are great for reducing pathogen spread, but they are also very efficient. These turnstiles and gates increase the rate at which users can enter or exit your facility, preventing traffic buildups, confusion, and ultimately an inefficient entryway.
4. Helps Ensure Future Success: As more and more products become interconnected through technological advancements, you can rest assured that your contactless entrance solution will integrate seamlessly with most new software and access control systems.

Characteristics of a Touchless Turnstile Entrance System

1. Automatic Barrier Operation: Touchless turnstiles contain motors that automatically move barriers out of the way to grant access to an individual without that individual having to use their hands or their body to push through. For a turnstile to be contactless, it must be able to function without any physical user input. Barriers must automatically open and close without any pushing or grabbing from the user.
2. Proper Social Distancing: Though touchless turnstiles operate completely autonomously, it is not uncommon for companies with turnstile access control systems at their entryways to employ a security guard or concierge nearby as an added layer of security. These paid attendants keep a watchful eye over the access control system and provide assistance when needed. It is important to ensure that these attendants are stationed at least 6 feet away from your contactless turnstile lanes to maintain proper social distancing.
3. Contactless Credential Checking: Even if a turnstile or ADA gate is completely contactless by design, it needs to be integrated with a no-touch credential checking system to truly provide a hands-free entry experience. Some of these systems include iris scanners, facial recognition software, temperature sensors, and proximity scanners.

Changes in the Access Control Industry

For as long as the entrance security industry has been around, access control turnstiles and ADA gates were primarily focused on controlling who was allowed access to your facility. But with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the access control industry is extending its focus to what is allowed into or out of your facility, with the what being pathogens, germs, and other microscopic threats. Now more than ever, access control is a vital aspect of a company’s safety against unauthorized entrants: macroscopic and microscopic alike.

Naturally, with changing emphasis comes changing products. We are starting to see more and more product innovations in the industry based around the idea of the touchless turnstile. The touchless turnstile is key for creating fully contactless entryways that do not compromise security for hands-free operation. Innovative new products like temperature sensors, facial recognition systems, and integrated hand sanitizer units integrate seamlessly with contactless turnstiles and ADA gates to create full hands-free entry solutions.

Every Hayward Turnstiles touchless turnstile you see offered on this page comes ready to easily integrate with most access control systems. They can be set up to directly communicate with credential checking hardware and software to further automate your entry process and check credentials with a reduced risk of cross-contamination.