5 IoT Projects Aiming to Help Fight Against Coronavirus
The COVID-19 outbreak may turn out to be technology’s time to shine. It isn’t the first outbreak that the world’s experienced, but the available tech to help fight it is new. Governments and companies around the world are starting to use the IoT in the anti-coronavirus fight.
You might’ve heard about the IoT’s potential in medical fields before the outbreak. IoT companies were already developing tech to help public health, so now it’s time to see it in action. Read on to find out about five IoT projects trying to help contain and fight COVID-19.
1. Detecting Symptoms with Raspberry Pi
Last year, researchers at the University of Massachusets tested an IoT device that can track flu symptoms. The Raspberry Pi-based sensor, called FluSense, can detect possible flu patients in crowds. You’ve probably heard people compare COVID-19 to the flu, so you probably know where this is going.
Since the flu and COVID-19 share many symptoms, scientists could easily tweak FluSense to detect coronavirus. FluSense could identify possible carriers of the virus in waiting rooms, grocery stores or even on the street. With this information, health authorities could do a much better job of containing the virus.
2. Using Smartphones to Report Sickness
Some countries have started tracking the virus through people’s phones. While smartphones do provide a convenient way of tracking coronavirus patients, the concept may make you worried about privacy. A new peer-to-peer app called Coalition gives you a more comfortable middle ground.
Every time you pass by another Bluetooth device, your phone picks up information about it. Coalition uses this connectivity to tell you if you’ve come in close contact with a COVID-19 patient. But it only knows if users carry the virus if they report it, and it keeps user IDs anonymous, protecting privacy.
3. Mapping the Outbreak
Real-time maps are a handy tool to have when trying to track a disease outbreak. HealthMap, the product of Boston Children’s Hosptial, provides just that. With HealthMap, you can look at up-to-date data on where the virus is and how fast it’s growing.
HealthMap has been around since 2006, but it’s come a long way since then. Now it pulls data from IoT devices, not just news resources, giving you a more complete and accurate picture of the outbreak. If you’re concerned about how the virus is impacting an area, you can check on HealthMap.
4. Caring for Patients with Wearables
The IoT doesn’t just help tack the virus but can help treat it too. A health startup called VivaLNK makes temperature-sensing wearables, which hospitals have started using to monitor coronavirus patients. With these wearables, hospital staff has an affordable way to track patient data remotely.
As hospitals become more crowded, they don’t have enough staff to monitor all the patients frequently. But remote monitoring tools like VivaLNK’s wearables, nurses can check on patients without being in the same room. That way, they can give everyone the care they need despite staff shortages.
5. Measuring Air Quality with IoT Sensors
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, so as it spreads, air quality becomes a more widespread concern. Some harmful particles, like coronavirus, are just nanometers in size, able to slip past traditional HVAC filters. But IoT sensors can detect these tiny particles to help improve air quality.
Companies like mCloud Technologies already make these IoT devices, so you can use them today. HVAC systems equipped with these sensors can adjust to deal with changes in air quality. That way, people have an added layer of protection against airborne diseases like COVID-19.
The IoT as a Force for Good
When you think of the IoT, you probably think of home devices that make life easier. While that’s an excellent example of what the IoT can do, it’s not everything it has to offer. In this time of medical crisis, the health benefits of the IoT are becoming more apparent.
Using the IoT as a force for good, especially in public health, isn’t anything new, either. Most of these projects you just read about were around before the coronavirus outbreak started. But the pandemic has served as a kind of proving ground.
Widespread IoT adoption can do a lot of good for the world. As more companies and governments realize their potential, more IoT projects will pop up, helping people around the world.
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