China plans to take full
advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) to shore up weak links in
technology-assisted efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus,
according to the country’s industry watchdog.
In a proposal posted on its website on Tuesday,
the Ministry of Industry and
Information Technology
(MIIT) called on AI-related associations, alliances, companies and institutions
to mobilize scientific, research and manufacturing task forces to prioritize
the development of products and applications that can effectively combat the
disease.
The nation should deploy more AI technology in
products involving virus detection, auxiliary diagnosis and temperature
screening. The ministry said AI technology could accelerate the research of
related drugs in virus gene sequencing, vaccine development and protein
screening.
Beijing-based AI startup Megvii Technology, known
for its facial recognition brand Face++, has developed a temperature screening
tool that can help monitor human body temperatures in crowded places and
identify individuals who might have a fever using facial recognition technology.
The system is on trial run in some subway stations
and government offices in Beijing’s Haidian district amid the novel coronavirus
outbreak, the company said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Wednesday.
Shanghai-based DeepBlue Technology announced on
Tuesday that its affiliated science academy has recently successfully developed
a unique AI algorithm that enables fast drug screening for the novel
coronavirus.
YITU Technology, also based in Shanghai, said on
Tuesday that it has developed a smart assessment system for the virus based on
computed tomography which allows for the quick diagnosis of the virus and the
smart analysis of curative effects.
In a statement sent to the Global Times on
Wednesday, iFlytek Co, based in Hefei, East China’s Anhui Province, revealed
that its healthcare unit has established a team to deal with the epidemic. The
team’s talent pool has now hit 69 individuals. It is committed to efforts
including the deployment of the company’s AI robots, which passed China’s
national medical licensing examination to analyze medical records and screen
potential high-risk patients.
Through the use of drones, robots and facial
recognition technology, those not wearing masks are easily detected.
In a Guangzhou Wanda Plaza, a robot equipped with
loudspeakers and high-definition cameras admonish passersby who are not wearing
masks. If the “robotic police” spot those who fail to follow public
health safety practices or those whose body temperature is abnormal, it could
raise an alarm.
Replacing police, 5G robots are able to take the
temperatures of 10 people within 5 meters at once using infrared rays, with
margin of error within 0.5 degrees Celsius. They can also detect people without
masks using facial recognition technology, Bai Lin, the general manger of the
Guangzhou-based developer, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The robots have been deployed in airports, railway
stations, hospitals and shopping malls in more than 10 cities across China,
including Guangdong and Guizhou provinces. Orders for the robots continue to
increase amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to Bai.
In Beijing’s South Railway Station, a device
developed by Beijing-based China Transinfo could examine the body temperatures
of over 2,000 passengers each day. Using facial identification technology and infrared
rays, the device can identify those with abnormal temperatures, the Securities
Daily reported.
GLOBAL TIMES
