techie
fall finds during covid-19
By Roberé Lett | Publisher | Style Editor
We are still not out of the grip of the current pandemic, and as we enter the fall/winter season where infections tend to rise, especially the common cold and influenza, it will be difficult to determine which is which - let alone with COVID-19 still going strong. It has me asking the question: what inventions and practices have we gleaned from this pandemic and what lasting changes will they have on our future society?
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated four key trends: robotics, digital cashless payments, working from home mantras and some tele-health platforms.
These trends can help reduce the spread of the Coronavirus while helping businesses stay open.
Technologies that can help make our society more resilient in the face of pandemic and other threats.
During the pandemic we began to see more technologies playing a pivotal role in keeping communities functional in a time of lockdowns and quarantines. Ironically, these technologies may have a decades-long impact beyond COVID-19.
I Robot
We knew it was coming. The age of the aggressive Robot has truly arrived… not just your SCI-FI nightmare, but real, accomplished robots are handling many of our daily chores, from vacuuming your home to delivering packages and food orders.
Digital and Contactless Payments
Pay via your smart watch!
Money and credit cards have long since been defined as germ magnets, since they tend to be passed around with such frequency and never cleaned. However, with the new systems where cash is no longer king, the many ways of creating contactless payment makes it much cleaner and safer even in an environment that is COVID free!. Since you’re the only person handling your credit card or cell phone, it takes the stress out of looking for coins and bills buried deep in your pockets, purses or wallets.
Just scan your cell phone app for instant payment.
Bar and scan QR codes are a must for coupon lovers.
No touch credit card payments are a breeze!
Working Remotely
Working from home for many has become the new way of doing business, and for me, it's been a blessing and a curse. I love the ability to roll out of bed and not fight traffic to and from a busy day, but there are drawbacks to everything.
For me, it wasn't the screaming kids and constant interruptions crowding Zoom meetings, causing all of your peers to exclaim underneath their breathe about how you are not controlling your kids' behavior, or the fact that you forgot to wear trousers underneath your hoodie, or to comb your hair. It's the deadly trifecta of crazy going from the computer to the refrigerator to the bed that causes unsightly weight gain. Indeed, a COVID-19 bloat-fest isn't the desired effect I want from my work-at-home regimen!
Telemedicine
Getting an appointment to see your doctor is becoming increasingly difficult since the pandemic. Instead of waiting days, we now wait weeks and even months to see our practitioner, and heaven forbid you to need urgent care. Telemedicine is quickly becoming the way to get faster care and hopefully, a swifter diagnosis and with what we hope is some efficiency. This concept is nothing new. The technologies and benefits of digital and data technologies have morphed into remotely delivered health care. I come from the age where you received the hands-on attention of being patted, pinched and probed as your doctor examined you for any manner of ailments or symptoms. Now that has changed with the tide, and talking with your physician is more important than ever.
Not all areas allow for or advocate for Telemedicine, as there are still some significant obstacles such as health systems globally that have not created digital platforms to conduct televisits. Government standards for privacy are trickier since data shared over a network requires superior security and is easier to control in a clinical setting. Cyber threats can leave patients feeling concerned that their medical data may be hacked or sold — challenges like the need for affordable, high-quality broadband access. Smartphones and the assorted digital components that connect to them remain expensive — which means Telemedicine may not be viable for the poor or less tech-sophisticated elderly, who need these sorts of novel health-care solutions the most. But even with Telemedicine's challenges, there are still remarkable strides being made as we see now the stethoscope is systematically being replaced—like many things — by the smartphone.