Emerging Technologies Proving Worth in Fight Against Coronavirus in China, Says GlobalData

The coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, which was first reported from Wuhan in China on 31 December 2019, quickly spread to become a global emergency. The number of deaths due to Covid-19 in China has already exceeded the SARS outbreak in 2003. Against this backdrop, tech startups are working with government agencies, clinicians and academics to help contain the outbreak, says GlobalData, a leading data analytics company.

Venkata Naveen, Disruptive Tech Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “China is becoming the largest testing ground to demonstrate how emerging technologies can be harnessed to improve epidemic management and minimize the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.”

Recommended AI News: AWS Acquires a Powerful Data Exploration and Visualization to Boost Python & R Integration

The Innovation Explorer database of GlobalData’s Disruptor Intelligence Center reveals various crucial use cases of emerging technologies to fight the coronavirus.

Outbreak Analytics

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used to identify disease outbreaks as well as forecast their nature of spread. Canadian startup BlueDot used AI and machine learning to detect the coronavirus outbreak even before the Chinese authorities. Its AI algorithm analyzed multiple sources such as news reports, social media platforms and government documents to predict the outbreak.

Sterilization Robots

Autonomous sterilization robots are helping hospitals to contain the infections in quarantined wards by easily moving into a quarantined zone to sterilize virus without human intervention. Chinese medical robot developer TMiRob deployed 10 disinfection robots across major hospitals in Wuhan to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Claims Processing

Blockchain-powered services are helping hospitals to reduce the time spent on administrative work and allocate staff to the frontlines. China’s Xiang Hu Bao, owned by Ant Financial, is offering a blockchain platform to speed up the claims processing, reducing the need for face-to-face contact amidst the coronavirus outbreak.

Aerial Delivery

Drones are gaining popularity as the fastest and safest means to transport supplies during disease outbreaks. Singapore’s AI startup Antwork has launched the first ‘urban air transportation channel’ to deliver medical supplies between Xinchang County People’s Hospital and the county’s disease control center, both located in Zhejiang, one of the most severely coronavirus hit provinces.

Chatbots

Chatbots are becoming the real-time information providers of coronavirus outbreak. Japan’s startup Bespoke has launched a chatbot ‘Bebot’ to offer latest and reliable updates to travelers on the coronavirus outbreak. Accessed through a mobile app, it can answer queries on coronavirus such as symptoms, preventative measures and treatment procedures.

Recommended AI News: Is Artificial Intelligence The Next Stepping Stone For Web Designers?

On the other side, China’s tech leaders Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent have also joined the fight against the outbreak. Baidu has open-sourced its RNA prediction algorithm LinearFold to help researchers accelerate the time taken to predict the virus’s RNA secondary structure from 55 minutes to 27 seconds.

Alibaba launched a new AI-based system to detect coronavirus infection via CT scans with an accuracy of up to 96% in less than 20 seconds. Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat released a feature to track individuals affected with the coronavirus using colored QR codes.

Naveen concludes: “With coronavirus pushing China’s health system into turmoil, the country is deploying tech solutions like never before to overcome its worst crisis in years. The ongoing epidemic has once again reiterated how important emerging technologies are in predicting and combating the spread of infectious diseases.”

Recommended AI News: AiThority Interview With Adrian Leer, Managing Director – Triad Group Plc