Amazon, Startups See Surge in Demand for Automation Tech Amid Pandemic

To reduce long wait times and exposure to health concerns amid the latest global pandemic, some coffee shops are experimenting with robot baristas. The robot barrista at Café X, in San Francisco, can make about 120 cups of coffee an hour using a robotic arm created by Mitsubishi. While the robot only performs predefined actions, like picking up a cup, pouring milk, and placing the cup in front of the customer, a barista robot at a Singapore café also plays games with customers waiting in line and a Japanese company created a “friendly” robot barista that greets customers with different facial expressions.

Covid-19 has accelerated technological innovations and robots are being used to minimize the virus’ transmission. Mobile disinfectant units using UV light to break apart the virus’ genetic material are in use at some hospitals, airports, hotels, and food banks. They clean surfaces faster and with less risk than humans. Robots are also doing initial patient in-takes at hospitals to minimize transmission and identify critical cases, and telepresence bots, essentially i-pads on wheels, allow patients to explore outside their quarantined spaces. Users do have to contend with occasional technological glitches.

The use of mobile phone technology can aid in contact tracing and the collection of public health data. In Israel, the government’s use of GPS phone locations to trace cases of COVID-19 raised scrutiny regarding privacy and accountability. Instead, a newer, open-source app called Hamagen invites users to download and voluntarily participate in contact tracing. Other measures put in place to safeguard personal privacy concerns include parliamentary oversight of governmental tracing programs.

South Korea has reported a reduction of new coronavirus cases thanks in part to rapid government regulations, widespread testing, and increased transparency. While other countries, such as the United States, have made a practice of only testing those showing symptoms, South Korea's success is linked to broader testing, contact tracing and alerting those who have possibly been in contact with an infected person.

The CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service Program trains individuals how to perform contact tracing in order to help slow the spread of infectious diseases. Success from this strategy has been reported in South Korea regarding the coronavirus, and now the U.S. officers are deploying to find out more about "how contagious it is, how it spreads, the severity of the illness, what groups are most likely to be affected."

Weeks before the coronavirus outbreak was declared to be a pandemic, Seoul, and other parts of South Korea set into motion a combination of "prevention and mitigation programs" that are now being touted as lessons for other countries struggling to contain the virus. Using technological advancements such as a national mobile phone alert system and mobile phone applications along with increased transparency around data collected, new reports of cases have slowed allowing the country to prepare for a potential surge later on.

South Korean molecular biotech company, Seegene, created, tested, and received approval for a COVID19 test kit in just three weeks. Using a supercomputer’s big data system and taking advantage of the Disease Control & Prevention’s newly expedited approval process, the company is now making 10,000 tests each week, costing just under $20 each.

Identifying the metagenomic sequencing for new outbreaks of viruses can help to better assess how the virus is spreading, which in turn helps health officials figure out how to slow down the contagion. In the midst of a coronavirus outbreak, a tool that was first used to during the SARS outbreak is now being used to track Covid-19 in under-resourced places such as Cambodia.

Digital platforms allow Syrian doctors living abroad to assist over-burdened local doctors deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. Conflict has severely limited Syria's health services, so NGOs use online platforms like Zoom and WhatsApp to allow Syrian doctors abroad to provide consultations, deliver trainings, and share resources - including a daily forum for local doctors to get second opinions on cases. Thousands of volunteers have joined and organizers think this model can work in other conflict areas if local agents are engaged, they have the trust of the population, and there is the technical capacity.

United We Stream (UWS) is a Berlin-based collaboration of nightlife businesses aiming to keep their businesses and club culture alive – and keep people entertained – during mandated closures because of COVID-19. With nightlife being hit hard by long-term closures, the collaboration offers live-stream DJ sets and asks for donations for participating businesses, with the hope that after the pandemic subsides, Europe’s club culture will survive.