Covid-19

The fast spread of the highly infectious Delta variant underscores the need for faster identification of COVID-19 mutations. Uniting governments and medical communities in this challenge, the University of Oxford and Oracle’s Global Pathogen Analysis System (GPAS) is now being used by organizations on nearly every continent.

Guidance Automation announced the findings of its latest research regarding the growth of the intralogistics automation sector. Undertaken by SAPIO Research during April 2021, the research explores the importance of intralogistics automation including the role of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) within companies that have a warehouse, fulfilment, production or distribution, and were in operation during the pandemic.

A new model that applies artificial intelligence to carbohydrates improves the understanding of the infection process and could help predict which viruses are likely to spread from animals to humans. This is reported in a recent study led by researchers at the University of Gothenburg.

Blue Ocean Robotics, the manufacturer of UVD Robots for autonomous UV-C disinfection, announced that it was selected by ISS World Services to provide autonomous robots for disinfection as part of ISS’ global offering.

Heathrow Airport has re-opened its Terminal 3 for the arrivals of travellers from red-list countries. Cleaning of the terminal is done by UVD Robots, supplied by Nesa Robotics, which operate at the airport   terminals as part of the heightened cleaning protocols during the first lockdown. Two additional robots have now been deployed into the terminal.

Demand for service robots will grow at an accelerated pace in 2021, following 24% improvement in annual sales volumes in 2020. In a series of reports a research team of Strategy Analytics shows that the Covid-19 pandemic actually helped grow demand for service robots, particularly business-oriented service robots in 2020 and that growth will continue in coming years.

Argyll & Bute Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has begun carrying COVID test samples and other medical materials on drone delivery flights between medical facilities in the Argyll & Bute region. Following a proof-of-concept phase last year, the three-month initiative, which aims to help improve COVID-19 related logistics to and from remote locations, has now been expanded and is fully operational.

Using patient data, artificial intelligence can make a 90 percent accurate assessment of whether a person will die from COVID-19 or not, according to new research at the University of Copenhagen. Body mass index (BMI), gender and high blood pressure are among the most heavily weighted factors. The research can be used to predict the number of patients in hospitals, who will need a respirator and determine who ought to be first in line for a vaccination.

The pandemic has caused a renewed interest in robotics according to HowToRobot.com. Two suppliers on the platform, Gibotech and OnRobot, have felt the increasing demand from customers.

Mount Sinai researchers have published one of the first studies using a machine learning technique called “federated learning” to examine electronic health records to better predict how COVID-19 patients will progress. The study was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research – Medical Informatics on January 18.