The rise of coronavirus has brought with it an opportunity to test different futuristic technology designed to help prevent pandemics. Most of the tech is being used in China, however its use is likely to spread globally as more and more countries may need to rely on them to prevent an outbreak of their own. One technology currently being utilized is infrared thermometers, or thermometer guns, which health officials use to regularly check people’s temperatures. Robots have been programmed to complete tasks like disinfecting hospital rooms, communicating with people in quarantine, delivering medications and taking vitals. Self-driving vehicles are also being used to transport medical supplies short distances to hospitals. Even drones have been deployed to scan public places for people violating quarantine rules, spray disinfectant and conduct thermal imaging.
AI has been called upon to track, diagnose and possibly treat the virus. There has also been an increase in facial recognition technology, and at least one company, Panasonic, claims its FacePro system can even identify people wearing masks. Combined with thermal imaging, these systems can also detect whether people have elevated temperatures. While these new technologies seem beneficial towards helping reduce the risk of a pandemic, it’s also quite chilling to realize that fear of a potential outbreak is being used to support heightened public surveillance.
