The rise of artificial intelligence heralds a new era, one where a web of algorithms rather than a network of people performs both complex and rudimentary tasks. Thailand plans to capitalize on this new technology to address important social and developmental challenges. The possibilities of artificial intelligence in Thailand could usher in the vision of Thailand 4.0: a Thailand with a value-based economy driven by innovation, technology and creativity. The Asian Development Bank published a report about how artificial intelligence and machine learning software could revolutionize the way countries track poverty. The bank coordinated a research collaboration between the World Data Lab and the governments of the Philippines and Thailand.

Flushing a urinal may produce an "alarming upward flow" of inhalable coronavirus particles, increasing the need for a face mask when in a public restroom, according to a new study. The study, from Yangzhou University in China, which was published in the Physics of Fluid journal on Monday, showed that when flushed, a urinal will allow coronavirus particles to "travel faster and fly father" than a traditional toilet flush. "Urinal flushing indeed promotes the spread of bacteria and viruses," researcher Xiangdong Liu said in a press release (via USA Today). "Wearing a mask should be mandatory within public restrooms during the pandemic, and anti-diffusion improvements are urgently needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19." For the study, researchers measured urinal flushing with computer models, which estimated that in just five seconds into a flush, virus particles could reach a height of more than 2 feet above the ground.

A Japanese technology company wants to take the guesswork out of proper hand washing technique with a new sink-mounted surveillance system that will flag people for rushing or not using enough soap. Called'Actlyzer,' the AI-driven'hand wash movement recognition' system was developed by Fujitsu Laboratories and is being targeted for use in the Japanese food services industry, where employee cleanliness inspections are common. Fujitsu believes the'Actlyzer' system could also be used in hospitals, schools, hotels, stadiums, and any other public venue where large numbers of people might share a restroom. 'Actlyzer' is a new hand washing surveillance technology, that will evaluate whether a person is scrubbing properly and has used enough soap As the COVID-19 pandemic has brought new attention to safe hand washing practices, the company says'Actlyzer' could be an important part of a larger public safety campaign to lessen the spread of disease. 'Hand-washing will become even more essential in the days and months to come,' a Fujitsu spokesperson told The Asahi Shimbun.

Many stalls and urinals are also outfitted with television screens. As of last year, over 68,000 public toilets had been refurbished, which is 20% higher than the country had hoped, the South China Morning Post explained. For many years, China has suffered from sanitary issues in its public bathrooms.

It was interesting to note the impact of social pressure. In general, people were more comfortable using voice commands when by themselves first, then with friends next, and then not so much with people they don't know very well. As an exception to this, people feel a bit more self-conscious about doing so when in a restaurant by themselves, and the presence of friends made them more likely to use voice commands with their smartphones (it grew from 23.1% to 28.4% of people being likely or very likely to do so). Some of our respondents were even likely or very likely to use voice commands in a public restroom (13%) or in a theater (7.7%).