In times of epidemic, scientists from all fields of science are working intensively to control/mitigate the situation related to the coronavirus. The medical industry is looking for a vaccine and drugs to alleviate symptoms and speed up recovery. The mobile devices industry is no exception. Possibilities that could help limit the spread of the virus were quickly noticed.
Many manufacturers now offer devices that can measure temperature, one of the main symptoms of the coronavirus. Quick measurement of temperature at work or other public places and identification of potentially infected people can prevent a large outbreak of infection or downtime in the company. It is also important that such devices are usually equipped with all other basic functions, so they will be able to be used once the epidemic is over.
Mobile applications that analyze whether a person infected with the Covid-19 virus has appeared in our vicinity are becoming a controversial issue. The goal and intention is worthy of recognition, because almost none of us leaves home without a smartphone in our pocket. Catching all people who had contact with an infected person would certainly have a significant impact on limiting the spread of the epidemic. However, as is usually the case in such situations, the seemingly perfect solution carries some risks. The most controversial thing is the fact of collecting information about where we were during the day and how much time we spent there. Not everyone likes it.
Well-known solutions, such as RFID technology or barcodes, may also be helpful. RFID tags and printed wristbands with barcodes may be useful, especially during mass events or trade fairs. With their help, it will be possible to monitor the number of people staying at the event on an ongoing basis and take appropriate action if there are too many of them. However, what if the event area is very large, but people will gather in specific places? We can protect ourselves against such situations thanks to long-range UHF RFID tags and appropriate antennas. RFID technology allows you to monitor the number of people staying in designated sectors, and thus enables automatic control of maintaining social distance.
The mobile devices and new technologies industry may not come up with a solution comparable to the development of a vaccine, but as you can see, it has an impact on limiting the spread of the virus and may allow us to introduce some sense of normality in these difficult times.