Innovations In The Time Of Calamity

Mankind has always been curious enough and has evolved with the changing times throughrndevising solutions to existing problems with genuine ideas and breakthrough innovations.rnHistory is evident with ample inventions being risen out of calamity and how a human mind isrnpropelled to think out-of-box in challenging situations. Innovations in the time of calamity hasrnnot been a new thing and as defined, it is articulation and implementation of a new idea in formrnof a device or method which offers solution to the new emerging problems. Amidst the current Corona virus threat, as the medical researchers are putting their best footrnforward to identify genomic sequence of the virus, creating vaccine, or development of rapidrndiagnostic kits at the same time business leaders across the world are also coming up withrninnovations in real time to mitigate the pandemic. Technology has gone beyond imagination to innovate processes which enable public healthrndepartments to better track disease, its spread, travel history and vital information of thernpopulation which is vulnerable to the Covid-19. Today, the growth in connectivity across thernglobe is tremendous offering access to the big data. Facebook has underpinned such innovationrnby creating highly detailed population maps displaying demographics, density of population andrnits travel pattern. These are already in use by American Red Cross group for disaster relief.rnSouth Korea pioneered an innovative way of testing the novel corona virus at drive-throughrncounters’ testing process at Mc Donald’s and Starbucks where health workers in hazmat suit takerntemperature and collects swab samples for testing the virus, passengers go through entire testingrnprocess in few minutes within their car itself, results are shared through message on cell-phones.rnAnother Korean innovation is a mobile application which through GPS detects places where anrninfected person has visited and helps to quarantine those areas. App is also being used forrnself-quarantine process and anybody breaking the quarantine is detected. Chinese Government has pioneered innovative ways in which drone technology can bernincorporated to alleviate corona threat, one being deployment of drones for aerial spraying ofrndisinfectants over affected areas and vehicles commuting to infected regions. Drone delivery ofrnmedical testing samples reduced non-essential human contact and also speed up the process ofrnthe test feedback reports. Drones are further extensively used in consumer goods item deliveries. rnNot only drones but even robots are deployed to reduce burden on health-care professionals andrnit carry tasks like taking patient’s temperatures, delivering the medicines and meals to patientsrnthe way 5G enables bots are doing in Wuchang hospital. Another innovation addresses the issue of social distancing which is must during this coronarncrisis and it is quite interesting to know that a café in Thailand, ‘Art of Coffee’, has started anrninnovative pulley system by installing a box pulled by rope and pulley to serve coffee at arndistance of over a meter to its customers under its social distancing policy to reduce close contactrnbetween its staff and customers. The café further encourages digital payment to avoid anyrninfections through currency. As suggested by experts, flattening the contagion growth curve will help support health-carernsystems, CEOs of many supermarket chains, like Star-bazaar in India have started specialrntimings for elderly to shop, thereby reducing exposure of elderly people to infection. Dior andrnLouis Vuitton, manufacturers of high-end perfumes and fragrance products have overnightrnconverted their production units to make hand sanitizers and started supplying it to Frenchrnhospitals for free and thus responding to challenging need with agility. The list still going on as the different parts of the world equips itself with further preventive andrncurative measures for tackling the present crisis but one thing is certain, every adversity in thernjourney of human race has always given opportunity to innovate, think and inspire!