Wong, Heather Shane A.

THFS 3:00-6:00
BSN 2 – 4 July 13, 2020

INNOVATION

If I were to innovate a product, I would innovate in robotics and drones. COVID-19 is taxing
healthcare systems and medical professionals in every country it spreads to. Telemedicine, supported by
robots, makes it possible for medical professionals to communicate with patients remotely, saving time
and allowing possibly contagious patients to stay confined. Not only can robots communicate with
individuals quarantined due to coronavirus, but they can also acquire vital patient information and
help doctors treat patients.
Due to the contagiousness of COVID-19, it’s safer if human-to-human contact is minimized.
Since robots are immune to infection, tech companies and others have stepped up to the challenge to get
more robots out in force to deliver e.g. medical supplies within healthcare environments. Robots are also
proving to be valuable when delivering essential items to people who shop and purchase online and are
quarantined at home. Food delivery services also in the US used robots to deliver meals to quarantined
individuals held in a hotel who were suspected of having the virus. 
Within warehouses that support online shops, robots are also used to automate and streamline
order fulfillment. The logistics affiliate of Alibaba, often referred to as China’s version of Amazon, uses
robots in its warehouses and has been involved with getting medical aid donations to areas of China such
as Wuhan that need them for testing and treatment of the coronavirus.
There are also drones that emit an ultraviolet light throughout an area to kill viruses and bacteria
without exposing any human personnel to infection. Another way drones are used to fight coronavirus is
to spray disinfectant in public spaces. Through thermal sensing, drones are also helping officials with
crowd management and to identify people with elevated body temperatures, which could indicate they
have the virus.
COVID-19 makes the world realize how heavily we rely on human interactions to make things
work. Labor intensive businesses, such as retail, food, manufacturing and logistics are the worst hit.
COVID-19 provided a strong push to rollout the usage of robots and research on robotics. While there
are some reports that predict many manufacturing jobs will be replaced by robots in the future, at the
same time, new jobs will be created in the process. Policies must be in place to provide sufficient training
and social welfare to the labor force to embrace the change.