Open source underpins coronavirus IoT and robotics solutions

The tech sector is quietly having a boom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Open source developers are getting involved with many aspects of the fight against the coronavirus, using Python to visualize its spread and helping to repurpose data acquisition systems to perform contact tracing. However, one of the most exciting areas of current research is the use of robotics to contain the spread of the coronavirus. In the last few weeks, robots have been deployed in critical environments--particularly in hospitals and on airplanes--to help staff sterilize surfaces and objects. Most of these robots are produced by tech startups, who have seen an opportunity to prove the worth of their proprietary systems.