INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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A robot on display at a hospital in China
Disinfecting robots,
smart helmets, thermal camera-equipped drones and advanced facial recognition software are all being deployed in the fight against Covid-19
at the heart of the outbreak in China.President Xi Jinping has called on the country's tech sector to help battle the epidemic
Healthcare tech is also being used to identify coronavirus symptoms, find new treatments and monitor the spread of the disease, which has so
far infected more than 90,000 people worldwide.But is it up to the job?Robots to the rescueSeveral Chinese firms have developed automated
technologies for contactless delivery, spraying disinfectants and performing basic diagnostic functions, in order to minimise the risk of
Shenzhen-based Pudu Technology, which usually makes robots for the catering industry, has reportedly installed its machines in more than 40
hospitals around the country to help medical staff
MicroMultiCopter, also in Shenzhen, is deploying drones to transport medical samples and conduct thermal imaging
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China is using drones to detect if anyone has a fever
Meanwhile, advanced AI has been used to help diagnose the disease and accelerate the development of a vaccine.Alibaba, the Chinese
e-commerce giant, claims its new AI-powered diagnosis system can identify coronavirus infections with 96% accuracy
vaccine."In the battle against Covid-19, emerging technologies have stood out by making immense contributions in an unexpected, creative and
amazingly responsive way," said Lu Chuanying, a senior official at Shanghai-based Global Cyberspace Governance
They have helped "arrest or contain the spread of the deadly virus, thus becoming one of the most reliable and trustworthy means of
combating Covid-19," he wrote in an article for state-run China Daily newspaper
But is all this just for show?"The state media apparatus, even under normal circumstances, takes every opportunity to send a message about
China's technological sophistication, even if a story has little substance to it," notes Elliott Zaagman, who covers China's technology
industry and co-hosts the China Tech-Investor podcast."I suspect that most of the stories we see about disinfecting robots, drones, etc, are
mostly just performative gimmicks
However, tech's 'less-sexy' role in controlling this outbreak should not be dismissed," he told the TheIndianSubcontinent.'Era of big data
and internet'Beyond robots and drones, China has also mobilised its sophisticated surveillance system to keep a tab on infected individuals
Facial recognition cameras are commonplace across China, and now companies are upgrading their technology to scan crowds for fever and
identify individuals not wearing masks
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Several Chinese firms have come up with AI-enabled fever detection systems
SenseTime, a leading AI firm, says its contactless temperature detection software has been deployed at underground stations,
schools and community centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen
The company also claims to have a tool that can recognise faces, even if they are wearing masks, with a "relatively high degree of
accuracy".Another Chinese AI firm, Megvii, boasts a similar product, which has been deployed in Beijing."During this challenging time, we
see this not as an opportunity, but our responsibility to do our part to tackle Covid-19 using our technology," a SenseTime spokesperson
told the TheIndianSubcontinent
Chinese newspaper Global Times reports that officials in Chengdu city, Sichuan province, have been issued with smart helmets that can
measure the temperature of anyone within a 5m radius, sounding an alarm if they are found to have a fever.As Chinese citizens slowly return
to work despite the virus outbreak, mobile phones have also emerged as a key tool to track the spread of the coronavirus.An app called
Alipay Health Code assigns individuals the colour green, yellow or red, depending on whether they should be allowed into public spaces or
quarantined at home.It uses big data to identify potential virus carriers, according to its developer Ant Financial
It has already been adopted in more than 200 Chinese cities
Tencent, the company behind popular messaging app WeChat, has launched a similar QR-code-based tracking feature.The "close contact detector"
app notifies the user if they have been in close contact with a virus carrier."In the era of big data and internet, the movements of each
person can be clearly seen
So we are different from the Sars time now," Li Lanjuan, an adviser to the National Health Commission, said in an interview with Chinese
state TV."With such new technologies, we should make full use of them to find and contain the source of infection."Privacy issuesWhile these
new surveillance tools may be considered efficient - and perhaps necessary during a health crisis - they have prompted concerns about
Many of these health apps require users to register with their name, national identification number and phone number
Authorities have also sourced data from phone carriers, health and transport agencies and state-owned firms
There is little transparency on how the government plans to cross-check the data, and there have been reports about personal health data
being leaked on the internet.A report by the New York Times, for example, said that Alipay Health Code also appears to share information
with the police.As the apps become more popular, there's the added fear that it could exacerbate paranoia and lead to discrimination
against coronavirus patients
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Chinese citizens are using apps to track the spread of coronavirus
Critics say China could use the health crisis as a justification to expand its already vast surveillance system, which human rights
bodies have described as dystopian
"If there's one lesson that Chinese authorities are learning here, it's where the 'weak spots' are in their surveillance apparatus,"
"Privacy was already becoming a thing of the past in China
An outbreak like this will only expedite that process".
