25 Tech Solutions That Can Make an Impact in a COVID-19 World
A new Intel eBook shares outlook and perspective on how intelligent and automated technology solutions may be able to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. IoT is positioned as a linchpin of emerging technologies that will help create a safer, healthier world.
Image credit: Intel
Businesses, government leaders, solutions integrators, and smart city managers all across the globe are spending time imagining the changes that are coming and what the new world order will look like. We have already seen the impact of the fast-spreading pandemic on our work, health, social interactions, and travels, and leaders in every segment seem to agree that we will not return to pre-pandemic ways anytime soon. What they foresee for us largely depends on their areas of expertise.
Intel’s expertise is technology, and the company’s thought leaders have weighed in on their vision in the recently released eBook, COVID-19: Reimaging Life in a Post-Pandemic World. The in-depth technology response guide was written with help from Harbor Research, and it highlights:
- COVID-19 facts and figures as they stand in mid-May 2020;
- Current needs to keep cities, business, and individuals safe and healthy;
- Existing and new smart technologies that can help us move forward safely;
- 25 Intel partner solutions that address current COVID-19 challenges.
For systems integrators, the eBook offers multiple, thoughtful insights of how Intel executives see the future unfolding. A clear theme is that IoT technologies, along with AI, 5G, blockchain, analytics, and virtualization “are uniquely situated to combat the far-reaching impacts of the pandemic.” The writers identify IoT sensors as the “linchpin of the emerging technologies that humanity uses to combat the impacts of all public emergencies, including pandemics like COVID-19.”
The disruption of the pandemic creates the need for more innovative tools to minimize new infections, manage contactless interactions, sanitize environments, and prevent or cope with equivalent global events. With these new requirements, IoT solutions will be needed to:
- Prevent sick people from entering a building
- Maintain appropriate social practices inside the space
- Facilitate contactless interactions
- Support robotics to maintain a sanitized environment.
Beyond IoT, the eBook looks at what smart technologies, including 5G networking, cloud, and data platforms, have to offer and how they may be of use. Smart technologies are more relevant to humanity than ever before in human history. Cities, businesses, individuals everywhere will need smart technologies that share valuable, connected data.
The eBook outlines interesting day-in-the-life scenarios that help visualize:
- What a smart business workspace looks like, and how we will navigate and collaborate within them;
- The future outlook for schools, commerce, healthcare, travel, hospitality, and public transport in smart cities;
- Complex applications that can promote health and safety in a smart, connected city.
Image credit: Intel
Smart Solutions Address Covid-19 Struggles
What may be most interesting for solution integrators is the curated list of 25 solutions from Intel and its partners. Solution integrators understand that IoT is much more than embedded sensors, and these solutions represent a vast digital ecosystem of interconnected devices and technologies. To help structure and organize the list, the authors categorized the 25 solutions into six sections: public safety, transportation, sustainability, healthcare, education, and smart spaces. Here are three IoT solutions that offer a sampling of what is included.
Social distancing and space management
SAIMOS offers flexible and scalable video analytics for social distancing and mask detection. It can provide a real-time analysis of overcrowding and mask detection and send alerts when safety thresholds are crossed. The solution includes 2D and 3D sensors, heat mapping, and face detection and recognition.
Robotics and sterilization
In heavily trafficked public areas, ZMP Patoro Robot sprays disinfectant to handrails and elevator buttons while it autonomously drives planned routes. The robot helps reduce risk of infection and decreases roles that may be dangerous and risky for humans. With a fast-approaching release date, the solution includes autonomous navigation, multiple sensors, cameras, and remote management.
Health management
Revlis Tele-Healthcare supports remote monitoring of people who may have a chronic disease but do not necessarily need to go to the hospital immediately. The remote monitoring can help reduce the number of at-risk people in the hospital. Continuous ECG monitoring for up to 24 hours, remote monitoring, cameras, sensors, and remote consultation are included in the solution.
Another 22 solutions are highlighted in the eBook, and the authors intend to update the book with more solutions as they become available.