Amidst the COVID outbreak, the Internet of Things (IoT) has become not only a luxury, but a need. Reliance on IoT products have accelerated by many people and enterprise. The products like packaging and shipping trackers, health monitoring systems, and the devices that qualify for remote work, telehealth, and telelearning. In the end, the data is channeled, received, stored, and scanned, on the devices is increasing vastly.
For those who has not clear about what IoT is, here in simple words,
In simple words, any device that you use with the connectivity of on and off switch to the internet. This includes mobile phones, coffee makers, washers, headphones, any wearable devices, Smart vehicles, and more. Any components of machines also include in the same. Just remember, it must have an on and off switch that will make it a part of IoT.
As per Huibert Verhoeven, until we hit the Pandemic, the definition of IoT was a bit vague amongst many people. But now, IoT has become a part of the real world. It has made it possible to avoid crowding of workers in considerable masses to evade the virus's contraction.
What is the need to know about IoT?
Amid the outbreak, the number of people infected with this virus is rising daily and globally. There is a high requirement of well-adequate and proper facilities, offered by IoT. Also, IoT is already offering a lot in the field of medical sciences. Further advancement in this field would surely help resolve the cases and fight the Corona battle.
Below are a few examples where IoT's have been of enormous help amid the Pandemic.
VivaLNK's Connected thermometers
The hospital uses the connected thermometers to test the patients and employees. Along with many other health care facilities, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center are continually using these connected thermometers throughout China to screen the patients and thus eliminating the risk of further spread. VivaLNK's California based health start-up has invented this device.
These thermometers provide continual, real-time monitoring of any fluctuations in body temperatures. To receive the real-time data of a patient from the sensors, the IoT Access Controller gets used, and then wirelessly transfers the data into the nurse's station for continual monitoring. 40 Bluetooth Low Energy devices can be matched and linked parallelly, while providing the long-range connectivity required to make up for multiple rooms in the Shanghai Health Center. Also, Kinsa Health company enables the service to collect the consumer temperature data throughout the country and provide real-time information about COVID hotspots.
Smart Wearables
Experts at IIT - Instituto Italiano di Tecnologia have created a sensorized suits to know the parameters of the human body. When the users put on the smart band, they are alerted if their body temperature goes above 37.5 degrees. These bands read the human body movements, and informs the users of social distancing after retrieving the distance from another bracelet. Radio signal and Bluetooth frequency is 2.45 GHz. IIT promises to develop an efficient device to detect human proximities at a quicker rate.
This smartband can come up with mobile apps that transmit with the bracelet, using Bluetooth device.
People in China are wearing bracelets and rings synced with the CloudMinds AI platform to provide continuous supervision of signals, including heart rate, oxygen level, and body temperature. Hongkong uses electronic Tracker wristbands to warn the persons-in-charge when any person evades the compulsory home quarantine rules after arriving from foreign lands.
IoT Buttons
The hospitals in Vancouver are using these IoT buttons, designed by Visionstate. Also know as, Wanda Quick Touch, mainly functions as a tool for the urgent need for deployment in the facility of any size. Management receives instant notification of any issues related to cleanliness or maintenance that might endanger the public safety. Facility managers can track warning signals and employee response times and supervise routine cleaning activities in excessively crowded areas.
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IoT buttons can be fastened with any surface and doesn't need any infrastructure to function. They are battery-operated and automatically links with the LTE-M network. It gets used in nursing stations, washrooms, patient rooms, and common places.
The IoT buttons can jointly be used with the Wanda Mobile App, thus facilitating the managers to track the maintenance and cleanliness activities daily.
Overall Applications of IoT:
IoT can forecast the upcoming situation with the help of proper data required. To have adequate management in place, especially during this Pandemic. IoT offered patients services like proper observance of heart, blood pressure, glucometer, and more. IoT service from app development company helps in tracing health conditions for senior people. The most important application of this system is in the healthcare sector is to keep up with real-time location for medical gadgets and devices without disrupting the process. Apart from this, IoT technology offers health insurance companies to detect fraudulent claims and provide transparency wholly; thus improving the overall workflow and keep up with the performance.
Things to take care off:
As lucrative as this technology has been, concerns are always going to be there. The concerning factor is about the security and privacy of the data received is uncommon and necessary to be kept in mind from the perspective of the patient's health. There can be fraudulent use of the patient's data and lead to cybercrime.
Next is the concern over network integration. The data network, while synced with the devices, has to be taken utmost care off.
Final words:
The
app development companies are doing an admirable job in innovating the IoT technology. Now that we know how useful it is, we can leverage this technology to our best when needed. Many organizations will be encouraged to invest their funds into IoT technology, considering the massive impact of the COVID outbreak. Healthcare centers must unequivocally make use of this efficient and outstanding technology to function progressively in their work. The tele-devices can help treat the infected patients from far away. Also, this smart technology is an excellent way to screen the infected person. If appropriate facilities are offered to professionals, government, and analysts, it will lead to society's betterment.