Recently, Palestinian engineer Yusri Talde has developed a "courier robot" that can provide courier food and medicine services for the new coronavirus(COVID-19) patients who are treated in isolation in hospitals. The robot is composed of sensors, cameras, GPS positioning trackers, radar and other components. The picture shows Yusri Talder operating the "Express Robot".
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Facing with
COVID-19 pneumonia epidemic, a series of emergency response methods represented by big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other digital technologies have emerged to help countries
prevent and control the new coronavirus. The analysis believes that in the future, digital technology will release greater potential in areas such as optimizing public health safety systems, enhancing emergency management capabilities, and improving social governance.
28 countries around the world have launched applications to track virus contacts
Recently, the US Apple and Google announced that they will jointly launch an application called "contact tracking" for public health agencies to track close contacts of
the new coronavirus(COVID-19). It can be installed on the smartphones of Apple's iOS and Android operating systems. It uses short-range Bluetooth signals to collect data from other phones that have been in close contact with the user. It alerts you when people are close to people who have a positive new pneumonia test.
According to the statistics of Nilda Law Firm in the UK, 28 countries around the world have launched similar applications, including China, Singapore, India, Norway, Israel, etc., and 11 other countries are developing GPS or Bluetooth based on global positioning system
Data application. According to Ramesh Laskar, an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as of April 10, three local governments in the United States have signed an agreement to use the "PrivateKit" application developed by the school, and 17 other states and cities The government is considering whether to use it. The new app "
the new coronavirus(COVID-19) 100m" launched in South Korea allows users to see the date and location of the diagnosis of new coronary pneumonia patients and the distance between the user and the patient to help the user avoid the patient's area. The US "Science" magazine published a research report saying that manual inspection usually requires a week to complete the procedure, positioning tracking technology can be completed in an instant.
According to Yonhap News Agency, from April 27, the South Korean government requires that people who violate the regulations on home isolation must wear electronic bracelets. The electronic bracelet is connected to the application on the mobile phone through the Bluetooth device. When the isolated person leaves the limited range or the bracelet is damaged, the relevant information will be automatically transmitted to the person in charge. Sarawak State, Malaysia will issue a QR code wristband to all people entering the state. The wearer needs to submit the location information twice a day by scanning the wristband QR code. The Singapore Science and Technology Research Council and the Ministry of Health jointly launched the "Joint Tracking" mobile app. When two users are within a distance of two meters and the contact time exceeds 30 minutes, they will be recorded and the data will be stored for 21 days.
Digital technology can provide a basis for diagnosis and treatment. At the end of January, the "
the new coronavirus(COVID-19) Pneumonia Intelligent Image Evaluation System" was launched at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. The system uses innovative artificial intelligence whole lung quantitative analysis technology to provide clinical experts with intelligent new coronavirus lesion quantitative analysis and efficacy evaluation services based on CT images, which can provide clinicians with more efficient and accurate decision-making basis.
Digital technology helps to spread reliable outbreak information. The United Nations has recently launched a new online knowledge center for the epidemic of pneumonia in Africa. People in African countries can check the epidemic information online. The EU funded the construction of a verification plug-in "we verify", which can help news practitioners verify the authenticity of videos and pictures. Amazon.com Inc. has developed a health guide function during epidemic prevention and control for its voice assistant application "Alexa" to help users grasp information on the development of the epidemic, personal protection measures, and symptoms of the new coronavirus(COVID-19) infection. The "Corona-Bot" chat robot launched by the Austrian city of Vienna and Linz can answer questions about the Austrian government's epidemic prevention and control policies, such as transportation and public place operations.
Digital technology is also an important means of epidemic research and prevention. On April 20, the European Commission launched the "European
the new coronavirus(COVID-19) Pneumonia Data Platform" to provide researchers with an open digital platform for Europe and the world to quickly collect, store and share research data and related data such as the new coronavirus gene sequence and protein structure. Research literature, etc. Carlo Cavazzoni, a senior researcher at the National Supercomputing Center of CINECA in Italy, said that the center is using a supercomputer to simulate the new coronavirus, screening out the millions of compounds that are most likely to contain the virus. Or even fewer compounds for the laboratory to test which drugs are most effective. IBM's supercomputer "Vertex" has simulated compounds for more than 8,000 drugs for researchers within a few days. It would take months if traditional computers were used.
Strive for a balance between the tracking effect and the protection of information security
In the tracking of contacts of
the new coronavirus(COVID-19), the application is certainly effective, but there are also public concerns: how to protect personal privacy and information security?
The European Commission issued a guide on April 16 stating that national health authorities of EU member states must comply with the "General Data Protection Regulations" when using application data. Individuals voluntarily install applications and share personal data. The development of mobile applications should adhere to the principle of data minimization, and it is not recommended to use non-essential data. At the same time, strictly limit the data storage time and encrypt the data.
To a large extent, the tracking effect of the application depends on user coverage. The European Union stated that to fully play the role of applications, it requires the people of the EU countries to participate, trust and accept this innovative digital solution to the greatest extent.
At present, the phenomenon of "data silos" still exists. Cecilia Bonifield Dahl, Director General of the "Digital Europe" Association, said that there are still huge obstacles in sharing and analyzing health data in Europe. Different formats and rules. " Due to concerns about violation of relevant privacy protection regulations, many health data have not yet been developed. In the coming months, digital health services such as video consultation, advanced diagnosis, and development of new therapies will need to be enhanced. The public sector, researchers, and enterprises should share data that is essential for tracking and treatment while ensuring data security. Uniform data protection rules among countries and increase capital investment in artificial intelligence and digital healthcare.
Provide space for industry development and the establishment of new business models
An international academic journal "Natural Medicine" published a comment that the use of digital technology to combat the epidemic may increase the acceptance of the public and the government for the application of digital technology in other areas of healthcare. Sridar Gadi, CEO of American
smart city service provider Quantela, said that cloud applications, big data and artificial intelligence applications provide the industry with room to develop and build new business models. These business models help people understand the severity of the epidemic and ensure that preventive measures are taken. In addition to accelerating the construction of important projects and major infrastructure, countries should also accelerate the construction of new digital infrastructure such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.
Analysis pointed out that digital technology can guide countries to formulate health policies and improve their ability to respond to public health incidents. In the future, they will release greater potential in optimizing public health safety systems, improving emergency management capabilities, and improving social governance. Ma Liang, a professor at the School of Public Management at Renmin University of China and a researcher at the National Development and Strategy Research Institute, said that enterprises should allocate resources through digital logistics networks and actively participate in the digitalization of social governance. Creating an open data sharing platform to promote data flow and integration between governments and enterprises will significantly improve the ability to respond to public health emergencies. Digital technology is more closely embedded in social management, which implies a greater growth point for the development of the digital economy.
