News item from the Mundo Drone archive, published 6 April 2020. Text merged on 28 October 2026 from all its 2020 versions; specifications, availability and regulations may have changed since.
The coronavirus outbreak that initially seemed to affect only China has become a pandemic that already accumulates hundreds of thousands of infected people in countries around the globe. All this, without forgetting that one third of the world's population is locked in their homes, as a preventive quarantine, to try to stop their expansion.
Even if it is a severe blow to humanity, this virus has also served to reinforce some technologies that we did not seem to be making the most of their capabilities. In this peculiar group there is a little bit of everything, from technologies that prevent even more contagions and that are able to save lives, to others that simply entertain us in these hard times.
Robots and drones
The problem with coronavirus, compared to other diseases, lies in how quickly it spreads. For that very reason quarantines have been chosen, trying to reduce contact with others as much as possible. And that's where robots and drones have shown that they're oversized.
Although it is true that they have not been given widespread use in Spain, in Madrid the Municipal Police has already used them to urge citizens to go to their homes. Also, the Military Emergency Unit (UME) is already conducting drone tests to assist in disinfection tasks in large areas.
On the other hand, we have been able to observe how in countries of the Asian continent they have had greater relevance at the national level. Not only have they used them to warn citizens, but they have also served to deliver medical samples, spray disinfectant in certain areas, keep people from leaving if it is not strictly necessary and even control the temperature of the population when installing thermal cameras.
Robots have also performed drone-like functions, facilitating diagnosis of the coronavirus from a distance. As an example we have The Personal Robot, an autonomous robot that has proved to be of great use in South Korea when integrating screen, microphone and cameras, both a thermal and a standard.
Given the advantages of both drones and robots, these "experiments" being carried out by the coronavirus could open the ban for use as a method of surveillance, transport of objects, etc. This is not a new idea, because Amazon has been developing its delivery robots for a long time, although it could be reinforced by the current situation.
3D Printing and Artificial Intelligence
Those of us in the technology sector are well aware of the great potential of 3D printing and the importance it could have in the near future. However, before the coronavirus outbreak gave us the full picture, most people on foot really didn't know how it worked and the possibilities it offers.
A few days ago, Lluís Villarejo, researcher at the University Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), assured OMICRONO that 3D printing "empowers the user to do things that were not in his hands before".
And it is no exaggeration, since with only a 3D printer and some materials Villarejo told us that he was able to create 200 visors for the toilets.
Protective screens made with 3D printer. Coronavirus Makers
The printing of masks and other sanitary accessories, so popular at the moment because of the health crisis, represents only the tip of the 3D printing iceberg, as the possibilities of this technology are much wider.
This allows us to print any physical object from which we have a 3D design very easily and giving citizens an earlier unthinkable autonomy. From now on, the general public may become more interested in this type of device thanks to COVID-19.
Although it is not a technology that anyone can use, at the institutional level Artificial Intelligence has also proved to be of great value in the fight against the coronavirus, at least in China. There, automated AI systems have been deployed capable of monitoring the temperature of all those who frequent metro stations, trains, airports and other means of transport.
The system is able to recognize people with fever. Sensetime
The Chinese government has also taken advantage of an AI system, created by Alibaba, that detects cases of coronavirus by computer scan. It identifies differences between patients with coronavirus and with ordinary pneumonia with an accuracy of 96%.
Of course, they are applications that have been designed with the idea of fighting the virus, but they reveal the ability of AI to analyze large data sets in a much faster and more efficient way than traditional systems.
Digital formats
Over the past few years, traditional formats have been losing weight, while digital formats are becoming more and more consumed. It doesn't matter if we talk about text (either to read a book or to be informed), audio (as in the case of radios or podcasts) or videos (streaming platforms like Netflix or Disney+). These formats were already growing like foam, but the crisis of the coronavirus has further accentuated its relevance and number of users.
All of them allow the user to consume the content at any time and from wherever he or she chooses. And, not only that, but formats such as podcast or streaming make it easy for their creators to record without having to step on a set or a studio enabled to do so. Very little is needed, as almost everyone has a computer in their possession and a microphone.
Teleworking and eSports
Video calls are not a technology or anything less novel, but the fact that we have to be confined in our homes has caused many of us to come to them en masse so that we can see our loved ones in the distance. I'm sure many have seen their faces more during these days than in the last year, who knows, maybe from now on we'll use them more to see each other instead of saying that so typical and utopian "see if we stay and catch up."
Current circumstances have also led to a brutal demand for apps to make group video calls and "meeting" with our co-workers. Unfortunately, before the outbreak of COVID-19, teleworking was not too well seen in Spain.
Zoom
Perhaps many entrepreneurs have now understood the advantages and how easy it can be to telework in some sectors, as there are a lot of free tools on the net that would become our pillar for working with a simple computer. If you click here you can read our article dedicated to teleworking. Because, gentlemen, you don't always have to go to the office!
In the absence of football, eSports or e-sports have proved to be the great technological response. Following the cancellation of the Santander League, Ibai Llanos, a popular Twitter user and video game commentator, organized a few days ago an online FIFA 20 tournament that was followed by thousands of people.
Ibai Llanos and DjMariio.
Twenty First Division teams participated in this tournament, each represented by one player on their squad. The players faced their rivals in FIFA 20 while Ibai Llanos broadcast and comment on the game via Twitch, a popular streaming platform that is precisely beating records.
According to EsportsCharts, Twitch has experienced a rise in its visualizations during the month of March (coinciding with quarantine) with which it has reached more than 3.2 million visualizations and has broken for the first time in its history the barrier of the 1 billion hours of viewing.
Twitch interface.
The so-called eSports may not generate much interest in the more advanced generations, but younger ones often see the format with very good eyes. In Spain it is still a land where there is a lot of road to go, however, in Asian countries such as South Korea, eSports are already a mass phenomenon.
These are just some of the technologies that have gained, so to speak, from the coronavirus outbreak. Will we give them the importance they deserve when this pandemic is over or will we continue to underestimate them?
Source: elespanol.com