BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A drone-based multi-functional monitoring system has been used to help control the novel coronavirus and offer early warnings, according to its developer.

Developed by a team from the Beijing Institute of Technology and a drone company in Tianjin, the system is mainly composed of drones, broadcasting tools, ground control and an image processing platform.

It has been used in the city of Fuxin, northeast China's Liaoning Province to find potentially infected persons.

With infrared thermal imaging technology, the drone can automatically monitor the flow of people and spot those with fever without direct contact. The broadcasting tools also help inform people of preventive measures and urge people to stop inappropriate behaviors.

Once the system detects a suspected person, it will record the information in its big data system. It can also be used in those companies which resume operation to prevent and contain the novel coronavirus, according to its developer.