4 Coronavirus-fighting technologies being pushed today
Governments, people and enterprises are constantly seeking new ways to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. In recent months, investments in Coronavirus-fighting technologies have skyrocketed, and so has their profitability as both public and private sectors show keen interest in using tech solutions.
Of course, technological advancement doesn’t just come out of nowhere – though it may seem that way to most of us. A Boston Consulting Group analysis has identified the 3 areas in which preexisting innovations are being repurposed as Coronavirus-fighting technologies. These include, virus detection and containment, healthcare provision and enablement, and economic resilience and plasticity.
1. Wearables
Wearable tech is nothing new. From smart watches that count your steps to insulin indicators worn by diabetics. Recently however, wearables have been used in combination with other technologies for early COVID-19 detection, monitoring, and predictive diagnostics.
As an example, CarePredict wristbands helped track people’s close contacts in nursing homes, allowing for quick action, bypassing the need for contact tracing technology, or at least localizing it for better privacy.
In another more scalable example, Fitbit used its wearable’s data points about a patient’s current health to aid in COVID-19 research. By plugging this data into an algorithm, the device can help researchers find commonalities or disturbances in every patient’s health. Temperature, sleep patterns and heart rate are all examples of data being constantly updated and can help in early detection and prevention.
2. Telcos keeping people informed
Telcos and operators have been using their massive reach for something other than advertisements and reminders. Well, they are sending reminders, among other things like public health broadcasts, useful information and facts as well as delivering healthcare contact info through SMS. Some operators were asked to play 30-second COVID-19 awareness messages upon making some calls, to ensure illiterate customers would receive essential information.
3. Using AI to identify treatments
Among all Coronavirus-fighting technologies, AI is perhaps the most widely utilized. From detecting and categorizing anomalies in a person’s bodily function as discussed above, to early warning systems used by governments to prevent the worst before it happens. By quickly analyzing movement paths and location data, an entire country can identify active COVID-19 cases and track their location, pinpointing areas that need lockdown or warning.
Many international COVID-19 research centers can consolidate their individual findings and information for all other members to use, speeding up research and improving the testing and detection process.
4. VR
One thing that has been growing steadily for some time is virtual reality. While most may think of video games or entertainment in general when thinking VR, new circumstances as well as the inherent utility of virtual interactive 3D spaces, have lead other industries to adopt this tech.
Doctors and researchers have been using virtual and augmented reality to teach and demonstrate treatments and safety procedures against COVID-19. Lately, VR has been used for demonstrating resuscitation techniques for COVID-19 patients suffering from acute or severe symptoms.
The ability for students and professionals to see the procedure or treatment occur in front of them helps them assimilate more information and experience the different scenarios while coping with distractions.
Source: World Economic Forum