8 Ways Emerging Technologies Tackle The Coronavirus Pandemic

We analyzed 4.830 startups and emerging companies working on technology-driven solutions in remote healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, hospital care, public safety, and helping industry, cities, and individuals adapt to a lockdown, that tackle the new challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Even before the spread of the novel coronavirus (n-CoV), HealthTech startups started developing technology-driven solutions to improve medical and patient outcomes. Applications of artificial intelligence (AI), combined with medical imaging techniques, improve the quality of diagnosis. Machine learning startups develop algorithms that support decision-making for treatments. From advanced robotics to remote patient monitoring, technologies play a key role in tackling the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic as well.

Covering more than 1.116.000 startups & emerging companies, we use our proprietary StartUs Insights Platform to identify applications, startups, and emerging companies that are directly working on solutions to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus Pandemic: Emerging Technologies That Tackle Key Challenges

Our Innovation Analysts used a data-driven, bottom-up research approach to identify 4.830 startups and emerging companies working to mitigate or suppress the spread and the effects of the novel coronavirus.

Some of the key challenges that these emerging technologies address include:

  • To prevent people from getting infected or passing on the infection. Technologies like remote health monitoring, autonomous disinfection, and contactless temperature guns help slow down the spread of the infection.
  • To provide additional support for highly vulnerable groups of society. Virtual doctor visits, chatbots, and online patient engagement tools, along with remote diagnostic solutions, helps reduce the number of people required to visit a hospital.
  • To maintain public safety, and public health in general, during an outbreak. Support tools and mobile applications for healthcare workers, using drones to deliver medical supplies, and specialized isolation units help prevent frontline workers from catching the infection.
  • To prevent avoidable community transmission of the coronavirus. Shared streaming services, remote work, along with loneliness, stress, and anxiety management, enable individuals and health workers to manage their mental and physical health during a lockdown.
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Remote Healthcare

Remote patient monitoring speeds up testing for the infection, followed by tracing and isolating potential carriers. Analyzing behavioral and biometric data from wearables improves the accuracy of detecting positive cases of COVID-19. With public health experts reiterating the need for social distancing, telenursing and telemedicine applications fill the gap created by a shortage of medical professionals. Connected health platforms allow doctors and patients to remotely engage via online conversational interfaces and digital medical assistance.

We analyzed 400 startups and emerging companies working on remote healthcare technologies and present 7 of the most relevant solutions that enable a faster and more efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the fields of:

  • Remote Monitoring
  • Telehealth
  • Respiratory Monitoring
  • Digital Stethoscope
  • Mental Health Chatbots
  • Wearable Sensors

To find out more about the startups and emerging companies developing remote healthcare solutions, click here.

Prevention Measures

Inside hospitals, doctors, nurses, and health staff use interactive real-time mobile apps to stay updated about infected patients and their treatment. Face masks are essential for ensuring that health workers face minimal risk of contracting the virus while performing their jobs. There is already great pressure on manufacturers of antiviral soaps and sanitizers to produce sufficient numbers in order to keep prices in check. Other autonomous disinfecting and sanitizing machines or equipment needs to be deployed at affected clusters.

We analyzed 121 startups and emerging companies developing technologies to prevent people from getting infected, or from passing on the virus. In a separate research article, we present 5 of the most relevant solutions that enable a faster and more efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

  • Disease Surveillance
  • Air Filtration Systems
  • Disinfectants
  • Spit Disposal
  • Antiviral Masks

To find out more about the startups and emerging companies developing protective gear and equipment for hospitals and for personal use, click here.

Diagnostic Solutions

The WHO urges all health authorities to test, detect, trace, and isolate those found to have contracted the coronavirus. Home testing and diagnostic kits are essential to slow the spread of the virus. When large-scale quarantine measures are in place, virtual care, virtual medical visits, and interactive patient engagement platforms allow people to obey the measures imposed. Chatbots and symptom checking mobile apps dispense information swiftly and in interesting ways. Contactless temperature reading guns ensure front line responders are not at risk.

We analyzed 569 startups and emerging companies developing technologies to conduct efficient diagnostics for suspected cases of COVID-19. We look into 5 of the most relevant solutions that enable a faster and more efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the areas of:

  • Mobile Diagnostics
  • Telehealth
  • Remote Patient Diagnosis
  • Disease Detection Kits
  • Continuous Temperature Monitoring

To find out more about the startups and emerging companies developing diagnostic solutions for people and healthcare institutions during a pandemic, click here.

Hospital Care

Hospitals require focused preparation and support to achieve intended patient outcomes. Artificial ventilators and bed-side health analytics significantly improve patient management. Nurses and doctors working on the front lines require safety goggles, gowns, gloves, shields, and surgical-grade essentials. These include blood testing kits and devices for monitoring respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and for efficiently testing stool samples. Robots that navigate inside hospitals transport essential tools and medications free up time for nurses to focus on their essential tasks.

We analyzed 125 startups and emerging companies that help healthcare institutions and governments maintain public safety and health during an epidemic outbreak. 5 of the most relevant solutions that enable a faster and more efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic are:

  • Hospital Robots
  • 3D Printed Ventilator Valve
  • Artificial Cough Device
  • AI Algorithms For Patient Monitoring
  • Anti-Pathogen Fabric

To find out more about the startups and emerging companies developing solutions that help hospitals and healthcare institutions better manage the coronavirus pandemic, click here.

Public Safety During Pandemic

AI-based and predictive analytics, visual representations, and simulations of any potential outbreak are powerful tools to inform the public about their safety during an epidemic. Technologies to track the mobility of infected cases and robotic disinfection systems help minimize the risk of the virus spreading to frontline workers. Specialized isolation units complement public health systems when hospitals reach their capacity. Doctors and nurses use mobile apps to manage stress and to have effective downtime.

We analyzed 162 startups and emerging companies that help healthcare institutions and governments maintain public safety and health during an epidemic outbreak. Relevant solutions that enable a faster and more efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic include:

  • Drone-based Delivery of Medical Supplies
  • Specialized Isolation Units
  • Mobile Support Applications for Health Workers
  • Visualization & Prediction of Epidemic Outbreaks
  • Robots for Patrolling & Disinfecting

To find out more about the startups and emerging companies developing public safety solutions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, click here.

Industry Adapting To The Lockdown

For factories and businesses, lockdown situations present extreme challenges and result in heavy losses. Fitting sensors to track their entire supply chain enables factories to plan production targets. With most people required to stay indoors, automated guided vehicles and drones potentially fill the gaps of moving items around a factory floor. Critical components and machines in a factory use expert-assisted augmented reality (AR) to facilitate a reduction in the number of workers required inside a factory. Overall, factories that digitize, across their supply chains, remain better prepared to deal with and prepare for unexpected events, like the coronavirus pandemic.

We analyzed 596 startups and emerging companies that help industries and factories remain operational, especially for essential production, during a lockdown situation. We present 8 of the most relevant solutions that enable a faster and more efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The wide range of applications include:

  • Digital Factory
  • Human In The Loop Technology
  • Real-Time Supply Chain Monitoring
  • Augmented Reality Collaboration
  • Industrial Cleaning
  • Industrial Cybersecurity
  • Industrial Autonomous Vehicles
  • Fleet Management

To find out more about the startups and emerging companies developing solutions to help manufacturing facilities adapt, and continue production of essential items, during quarantine or lockdown imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, click here.

Cities Adapting To The Lockdown

Image and video analytics play an important role in helping cities manage and handle the challenges posed by the pandemic and the resulting lockdown. With billions of people living under forced quarantine, some hospitals and governments use geofencing techniques to ensure infected people obey the restrictions. Mobile applications update citizens about outbreaks with interactive maps and engage with the public about other policy issues. Off-site construction and urban farming potentially play an important role in ensuring temporary structures and basic food supply to cities. With grocery and other essential retail stores under risk of having an outbreak self-checkout and cashier-less outlets help people manage lockdowns in big cities.

We analyzed 259 startups and emerging companies that help individuals and desk workers remain calm, refreshed, and informed during a lockdown situation. We present 7 of the most relevant solutions that enable a faster and more efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

  • Smart Surveillance
  • Location-Based Systems
  • Online Civic Services
  • Indoor Farming
  • Autonomous Stores
  • Prefabricated & Modular Construction
  • Sickness Mapping

To find out more about the startups and emerging companies developing solutions to help cities adapt, and continue basic functions, during quarantine or lockdown imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, click here.

Individuals Adapting To The Lockdown

Mobile and smartphone-based applications are being used to connect with loved ones during these testing times. Some schools are already using e-learning platforms to complete their syllabus for this academic year or term. Offices, forced to temporarily close, are finding innovative online tools to connect and collaborate with their employees. Even before the outbreak, streaming and entertainment apps on smartphones were useful for passing time.

By making it easier to practice social distancing and self-isolation, technology enables people to normally carry on their lives, as much as is possible during a lockdown.

We analyzed 521 startups and emerging companies that help individuals and desk workers remain calm, refreshed, and informed during a lockdown situation. We present 7 of the most relevant solutions that enable a faster and more efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

  • Shared Streaming & Entertainment
  • Remote Work
  • Loneliness Management
  • Stress & Anxiety Reduction
  • Online Learning
  • Online Food & Grocery Delivery
  • Indoor Workouts

To find out more about the startups and emerging companies developing solutions that help individuals adapt to quarantine or lockdown imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, click here.

How To Flatten The Curve?

This is an unprecedented situation for many of us across the world. The SARS outbreak in the early 2000s claimed 774 lives. That toll was enough to drive research & development and easier healthcare solutions. The fact that several mobile health, e-health, diagnostics, and remote health startups and companies are able to respond during a real epidemic is encouraging. With tens of thousands of deaths already because of the coronavirus, we expect to see numerous new companies offering technology-driven solutions to help doctors, nurses, other health workers, and the larger public.