For over two months now, all of us have finally accepted a huge medical challenge which when not contained can be disastrous. The coronavirus outbreak has reminded everyone that having robust medical facilities should be the topmost priority of every country, big and small. When a pandemic like this occurs, it can create mounting pressure on the governments and health officials not just to gather the required information but also based on the information to create a response system.
Artificial Intelligence or AI seemingly has a large role to play not just in the prediction of the outbreak but also spread its outbreak further. A rapid response system to these infectious diseases has all the scientists looking for a hope to fight COVID-19. WHO has declared it a pandemic because of the manner in which it spreads. China has been able to tackle the crisis effectively with many recovery cases, but when China can do it Why can’t Italy? The answer lies in a faster response system, a great mechanism to deal with the crisis and the effective training of the paramedical teams.
Not just COVID-19 but any other pandemic scare can be effectively managed thanks to AI and its proponents posing as great weapons to handle the situation.
Researchers and scientific experts are looking for a cure for COVID-19. AI and data science are continuously taking efforts to overcome this challenge. There are many scientific breakthroughs that are divided into small chunks and their recommendations are sent to WHO for further strategies on quarantine and prevention.
AI can detect Corona or an epidemic
AI-based algorithms enable 100% filtering of information and content spread across geographical boundaries. AI systems can go a long way in pointing out errors before it becomes a pandemic. AI was used by researchers to study travel data of passengers to predict the novel virus location. There also is continuous monitoring of all social media information everywhere for easy detection of the spread. With the help of predictive modeling tools, major fights towards COVID-19 can expectantly become successful. Big Data analytics helps in decentralizing the process and also ensure timely evaluation of data sets generated with IoT and other real-time devices.
AI can diagnose Corona
Apart from detecting cases it can also diagnose and monitor the disease by the front-line health care workers. Infervision which is a dedicated AI company has launched an AI solution for easy monitoring. The work pressure that has been created as a result of Corona has been eased thanks to these AI solutions. It has reduced the work pressure at the imaging departments. Alibaba too has built an AI-enabled diagnosis system which is 96% accurate in diagnosing cases in a few seconds.
AI can enhance medical care facilities for Corona
The medical team at the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan in association with Wuhan EndoAngel Medical technology and University of geosciences has seen a 95% accuracy in detecting the COVID-19 cases with chest scans. The solution was a deep-learning algorithm that was trained on 45000 scans. AI’s performance and result system are no lesser than an expert radiologist.
Robots and robotic engineering to lead the fight against COVID-19
Social distancing can be seen as the only way to control the spread. The infection caught as a result of contact between a normal and an infected patient was what has caused Italy to break down. Companies realize this and have researched this aspect. China is using drones and robots to perform different contactless operations for spraying disinfectants in public areas. Robots are already in use to check fever and symptoms.
Robots are also installed in hospitals to deliver food and medicine to patients. They have been programmed in a manner that needs minimal supervision reducing the staff required to run the facility. Robots are also used in Seattle to communicate with infected patients.
AI is accelerating the drug research process
The fight against COVID-19 can only be successful when vaccination can be developed. The development of an antidote is not possible because it is lengthy and extremely expensive. AI can help to fight Corona by speeding up this process. DeepMind AI research lab which was taken over by Google in 2014 had announced the use of deep-learning methods to detect new information about protein structure required for the generation of vaccine for COVID-19.
Better face masks
Sonovia, an Israeli startup has already started investing its efforts by bringing about face masks made from anti-bacterial fabric that will completely rely on metal-oxide nanoparticles.
GIS technology
Geographical Information systems technology also has been identified as a great tool to contain the spread of the virus. John Hopkins University has spearheaded this and has a dashboard highlighting all the cases of Corona geographically. In order for GIS to be successful, data mining is essential as it uses information about what people are talking.In accordance with the information so received prevention measures can be implemented. With AI, machine learning, data science, and GIS gaining insights have become simpler.
AI can detect non-compliance
Sichuan province has installed ‘smart helmets’ to identify those people who might have a fever and are prone to the virus. There is also a monitoring system called health code in China that uses big data to ascertain the risk of contracting the disease based on their travel history, the time they have spent in hotspots for viruses` and also the rate of exposure.
Chatbot conversations
Chatbot conversations and chat windows like Tencent’s WeChat are keeping the travelers updated about procedures and disruptions.
Supercomputers working incessantly towards developing a vaccine
Many IT technology companies to the likes of Tencent, DiDi, and Huawei are employing supercomputers to augment the speed of cure development. The speed that they run on is all calculation based and much faster than the standard computer processing.
Follow these and stay safe:
- Wash your hands at regular levels with soap and water or alcohol-based rub to kill viruses.
- Maintain social distancing.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Practice respiratory hygiene.
- seek medical care at the earliest if you have detected symptoms.
AI and data sciences with analytics have proven to be a treasure trove of information that is fighting against the crisis. The future seems really bright for AI in the medical world which will also give organizations a further chance to conduct some breakthrough research.
