BY KURNIAWATI KAMARUDIN
KUALA LUMPUR: Industrial Revolution 4.0 applications are currently being deployed by several countries to track and contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
China, for example, has been making use of its technological resources to devise more effective tools to study the novel coronavirus, as well as create innovative enforcement and disease monitoring applications, to successfully curb the outbreak which started in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province.
South Korea and Singapore have used the Internet of Things – a crucial component of IR4.0 – to develop smartphone applications to track potential virus carriers and carry out early testing.
Malaysia is also actively involved in deploying IR4.0 solutions in its efforts to curb the spread of the virus which has infected more than two million people and caused over 130,000 deaths globally.
Enhance use of IR4.0
According to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment senior lecturer Associate Prof Dr Sawal Hamid Md Ali, UKM is collaborating with Hospital Counselor Tuanku Muhriz and Innosens Technology Sdn Bhd to develop a smartphone application to enable individuals to screen themselves for Covid-19.
He, however, declined to divulge more information on the application, saying that it is still awaiting approval from the authorities concerned.
He said applications such as the one being developed by UKM would help to detect high-risk individuals, as well as monitor and control their movements.
“Such apps have proven to be successful in the countries that are using them to track Covid-19 cases,” he said, adding that Malaysia is in a good position to contain the pandemic using IR4.0 applications as it has already made strides in technology and innovation.
Genome sequencing
Sawal Hamid said efforts to contain Covid-19 can, in general, be divided into two – curbing the spread of the virus and discovering a vaccine to treat the disease.
After the disease was detected in Wuhan in December 2019, one of the first things scientists did was to sequence the whole genome of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
Advancements in IR4 technologies allowed them to unravel the genetic code of the virus in a relatively short period, that is, by early January, a few weeks after the infection was first detected.
“Scientists developed a handheld DNA sequencer to carry out the genome sequencing faster, which enabled them to create synthetic versions of the virus for research purposes in order to produce test kits and vaccines,” Sawal Hamid told Bernama.
He said genome sequencing revealed vital information about the Covid-19 virus, such as its evolution, source of infection and how fast it can mutate.
The viruses that cause the common influenza mutate frequently, as a result of which the vaccine to treat it has to be updated regularly to fight the different strains of the virus.
In the case of the Covid-19 virus, initial data from studies showed that it did not mutate as fast as the influenza-causing viruses.
“This suggests that only one vaccine may be needed to treat Covid-19,” said Sawal Hamid.
He said Malaysia has also contributed to efforts to decode the genetic code of the Covid-19 virus.
The Malaysia Genome Institute has done genome sequencing on samples taken from several Covid-19 positive cases and data from their studies have been channeled to a database in the United States for the purpose of producing a vaccine, he added.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial Intelligence has also played an important part in learning and understanding the unique structure of the virus’ protein in efforts to produce a vaccine to treat Covid-19, said Sawal Hamid, who had served as a visiting scientist at the Multidisciplinary Laboratory at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy.
He also said that the 3D printing technology, another component of IR4.0, is also being widely adopted to produce personal protection equipment such as face shields, as well as other vital gadgets like sanitising tunnel/box and incubation box.
“The 3D technology allows high-quality and durable products to be manufactured faster,” he said, adding that collaboration among communities, 3D printing companies, universities, research institutes and others has led to the production of more equipment for the frontliners engaged in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
Work from home technology
Meanwhile, IR4.0 is also helping Malaysians to work from home effectively during the movement control order (MCO) period from March 18 to April 28.
Cloud-based videoconferencing solutions that enable homebound employees to participate in online meetings and cloud computing are all products of IR4.0 technologies.
“The use of these technologies will become more common and this mode of working (from home) may become more popular in the future,” he added.
IR4.0 is also often linked to disruptive technology, a term used for an innovation that displaces conventional technology and significantly alters the way consumers, industries or businesses operate.
“An example of disruptive technology is the delivery model used by companies like GrabFood and FoodPanda. Besides food delivery, these companies also provide all kinds of other services through mobile applications,” Sawal Hamid said.
He said since the MCO was enforced, disruptive technology has been having a greater impact on society as more people are now making use of online services to have food, groceries and other essential goods delivered to their doorsteps.
“Additionally, the use of the electronic or e-wallet app to pay for purchases also reduces the risk of Covid-19 infection,” he added. – Bernama
