Harnessing the Power of Smart and Connected Health to Tackle COVID-19: IoT, AI, Robotics, and Blockchain for a Better World

Abstract

As COVID-19 hounds the world, the common cause of finding a swift solution to manage the pandemic has brought together researchers, institutions, governments, and society at large. The Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) -including Machine Learning (ML) and Big Data analyticsas well as Robotics and Blockchain, are the four decisive areas of technological innovation that have been ingenuity harnessed to fight this pandemic and future ones. While these highly interrelated smart and connected health technologies cannot resolve the pandemic overnight and may not be the only answer to the crisis, they can provide greater insight into the disease and support frontline efforts to prevent and control the pandemic. This paper provides a blend of discussions on the contribution of these digital technologies, propose several complementary and multidisciplinary techniques to combat COVID-19, offer opportunities for more holistic studies, and accelerate knowledge acquisition and scientific discoveries in pandemic research. First, four areas where IoT can contribute are discussed, namely, i) tracking and tracing, ii) Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) by Wearable IoT (WIoT), iii) Personal Digital Twins (PDT), and iv) real-life use case: ICT/IoT solution in Korea. Second, the role and novel applications of AI are explained, namely: i) diagnosis and prognosis, ii) risk prediction, iii) vaccine and drug development, iv) research dataset, v) early warnings and alerts, vi) social control and fake news detection, and vii) communication and chatbot. Third, the main uses of robotics and drone technology are analyzed, including i) crowd surveillance, ii) public announcements, iii) screening and diagnosis, and iv) essential supply delivery. Finally, we discuss how Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs), of which blockchain is a common

A Reliable and Efficient Tracking System Based on Deep Learning for Monitoring the Spread of COVID-19 in Closed Areas

“…Using wireless technologies, such as IoT and fifth-generation (5G), the number of infected and uninfected people can be easily estimated and besieged [ 12 ]. Such technologies can be used to predict suspected COVID-19 cases, infected areas, and the percentage of virus spread [ 15 , 16 ]. Different types of wearable sensors [ 17 ] are commonly used to detect whether or not people are suspected of being infected with the virus based on signs such as temperature, blood oxygen, and coughing patterns [ 11 , 15 ].…”

“…Such technologies can be used to predict suspected COVID-19 cases, infected areas, and the percentage of virus spread [ 15 , 16 ]. Different types of wearable sensors [ 17 ] are commonly used to detect whether or not people are suspected of being infected with the virus based on signs such as temperature, blood oxygen, and coughing patterns [ 11 , 15 ]. Cameras, IoT sensors, and RFID sensors can track whether or not people are wearing masks and bound to a safe distance to avoid the infection, especially in closed areas such as malls, schools, universities, companies, and hotels [ 7 , 11 ].…”

“…In August 2021, ref. [ 15 ] explained the benefits of using IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, and Blockchain technologies in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and presented multidisciplinary techniques and applications such as Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) by Wearable IoT (WIoT), tracing and tracking, Personal Digital Twins (PDTs), and risk prediction to encounter COVID-19 [ 15 ].…”

Unbundling the significance of cognitive robots and drones deployed to tackle COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid review to unpack emerging opportunities to improve healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa

“…Implementation of these containment strategies and vaccination efforts face tremendous impediments in some developing countries due to weakened infrastructure, insufficient funding, weak health systems [6] , corruption, and massive social unrests encumbered by conspiracy theories. Additionally, populations are reluctant to adhere to imposed stringent measures and restrictions [7] coupled with vaccine hesitancy, insufficient funding [8] , misinformation about the vaccines, misdistribution of vaccines [9] , consequently lead to imperfect public compliance and violation of COVID-19 guidelines. In addition to these challenges, lack of feasible and sustainable digital technologies for effective contact tracing, dearth of disinfection equipment and low capacity for massive large-scale testing and remote monitoring of COVID-19 patients have been affecting the containment of the pandemic in some countries.…”

“…Some countries are leveraging the fourth industrial revolution to improve patient care. Notably, some countries deployed smart technologies, including cognitive robots, drones [8] , applications (Apps) and sensor-based smart devices, to tackle and curb the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic [9] . Smart technologies, drones and robots are utilized to mitigate the risk of transmission by disinfecting contaminated surfaces [10] , deliver medical equipment in impassable and hard-hit areas [11] , fabricate masks, surveillance, medical consult [12] and screen individuals for early detection of infection [13] .…”