In addition to its public health crisis, COVID-19 pandemic has led to the shutdown and closure of workplaces with an estimated total cost of more than $16 trillion. Given the long hours an average person spends in buildings and indoor environments, this research article proposes data-driven control strategies to design optimal indoor airflow to minimize the exposure of occupants to viral pathogens in built environments. A general control framework is put forward for designing an optimal velocity field and proximal policy optimization, a reinforcement learning algorithm is employed to solve the control problem in a data-driven fashion. The same framework is used for optimal placement of disinfectants to neutralize the viral pathogens as an alternative to the airflow design when the latter is practically infeasible or hard to implement. We show, via simulation experiments, that the control agent learns the optimal policy in both scenarios within a reasonable time. The proposed data-driven control framework in this study will have significant societal and economic benefits by setting the foundation for an improved methodology in designing case-specific infection control guidelines that can be realized by affordable ventilation devices and disinfectants.

ADATA Technology has collaborated with researchers at Hsinchu National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) to introduce the C-Rob Autonomous Mobile Robots. These robots use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reduce the workload of healthcare workers as Taiwan continues to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Recently, an outbreak of Covid-19 struck Taiwan, and hospitals are prone to becoming hotspots for transmission. When Covid-infected patients enter hospitals, whether for testing or much-needed medical care, hospital staff will often prioritize these patients and devote less time to those visiting the hospital for non-Covid related reasons. On top of this, a clean environment must be maintained, with frequent disinfection to reduce the risk of transmission.

Pratt Miller demonstrated its LAAD disinfecting robot at Gerald R Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, MI, in July 2020. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to be felt for years to come, regardless of the presence and availability of a vaccine. Physical measures adopted by humans, such as social distancing or wearing masks, are likely to be utilized for years to come, along with technological developments deployed in both public and private spaces that are focused on enforcing social distancing, enabling more efficient cleaning and disinfecting of spaces, and driving more automation and intelligence to reduce humans' direct physical interaction with each other. Some companies and individuals feel the best way to avoid COVID-19 or other viruses is to simply avoid all unnecessary human contact. As such, many companies have introduced or fast-tracked the use of automation to lessen their reliance on human workers, as well as to enhance their responsiveness to customer queries.

The Cotton Bowl is the first stadium in Texas to take a chance on the technology, which has the capability of disinfecting a 92,000 person stadium within 4 hours. DALLAS -- Stadiums are looking for ways to bring fans back to the stands in time for fall sports despite the coronavirus outrbreak, leading some Texas facilities to turn to drones for help. Cotton Bowl senior marketing director Julian Bowman describes the feeling of seeing the iconic Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas empty for the last few months, saying, "It is a weird feeling." "The Cotton Bowl opened up in 1930, so this was our 90th year and it was set to be our best year ever and unfortunately with COVID we are not able to do that," Bowman said. "It has really affected how we have been able to connect with our sports community and our entertainment community." The last event the Cotton Bowl was able to host was in January of 2020, before COVID-19 shut them down.

A self-driving robot is now going rounds the lobby of SK Telecom, South Korea's largest mobile operator, to ensure social distancing and provide disinfectants. With cameras and an LED screen, the robot checks their temperature, dispenses hand sanitizer, disinfects the floor, and greets visitors to "take part in social distancing." Created by SK Telecom and Omron Electronics Korea, the robot provides an industrial automation solution and transmits data to its server in real-time, according to Reuters. It is powered by SK's fifth-generation (5G) technology. Korea has long been using robotics for tasks, including manufacturing and cleaning.

A startup at a village in Kochi has developed an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ( UAV) drone supported with artificial intelligence that can help combat COVID-19 by monitoring body temperature, supplying essential commodities and spraying disinfectants. The unmanned'Garud' has been designed and engineered by AI Aerial Dynamics at the Maker village, which is India's largest electronic hardware incubator. The indigenously made drone can monitor roads and bylanes, besides residential pockets and aerodromes that have been locked down across the country since March 25 in an effort to check the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Also, the aerial vehicle can collect thermal data by using an array of IR sensors and advanced digital technology called EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution), thus working as a means to combating the pandemic. The vehicle can collect swabs and samples of people for COVID-19 test. It has the capacity to carry weight up to 60 kg, thus facilitating distribution of even essential commodities if there is an exigency.

Experts are set to unleash a'pandemic drone' to help limit the spread of coronavirus. The drone is fitted with sensors and computer vision, allowing it to monitor and detect people with infectious respiratory conditions. The system could also identify people sneezing and coughing in crowds, offices, airports, cruise ships, aged care homes and other places where groups of people may work or congregate. Its creators hope to deploy the drone in six months and in various hotspots where'the most amount of detection is currently required.' Experts are set to unleash a'pandemic drone' to help limit the spread of coronavirus.

BEIJING: Wang Jiayi, a 31-year-old fashion magazine editor living in Tongzhou district of Beijing, is relying on a vending machine powered by artificial intelligence (AI) at her residential compound to supply her with fresh fruit, vegetables and other necessities. "I select products displayed on the transparent door of the machine and use my mobile to scan a quick response code. Once it is scanned, the door opens and payment is processed automatically after I make my selection and close the door, " Wang said. The entire process is convenient and requires no human-to-human contact, she added. The AI vending machines by e-commerce giant JD's logistics innovation laboratory, are being rolled out in Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing due to the rising demand for unmanned shopping experiences amid the Covid-19 outbreak.