Tech firm helps make sites Covid safe
A S cottish tech star t-up has b e e n a w a r d e d f u n d i n g t o d e ve l o p a c o r o n av i r u s r i s k management tool for workplaces.
Data Innovation.ai, which is based in Edinburgh, is investing further in the development of its Worksafeai technology having secured an additional Innovate UK grant.
T h e f i r m’s a r t i f i c i a l i n t e l - l i g e n c e - d r i v e n b i o - s a f e t y assessment to ol is aimed at combating the spread of Covid-19 and other infectious diseases. It is designed to ensure that the £130 billion of commercial property built in the UK every year is pre-assessed for pandemic safety.
Funding was granted to the firm through Innovate UK’S Sustainable Innovation Fund, after it enlisted the support of The Data Lab’s external funding ser vice to help with the application.
Innovate UK executive chairman Ian Campbell said: “Data Innovation.ai’s work, along with every initiative Innovate UK has supp or ted through this fund, is an important step forward in driving sustainable economic development.”
T h e t o o l c a n i n f o r m t h e d e s i g n a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n o f facilities to ensure the health a n d we l l - b e i n g o f wor ke r s , while supporting the sustainable long-term use of the building itself, even in the event of a future outbreak.
Robert Walker, chief advocacy officer at Data Innovation. AI, said: “Covid-19 has revealed risks inherent in large structures where p eople congre - gate for work, business and leisure.
“In the same way we design buildings for fire safet y, air qualit y and water safet y, we must now consider the continuous health of occupants, including infections transmitted through the workplace.
“As we return to our workplaces, these bio-safety issues
will become ever more important, and we just need to look at the southern hemisphere which has largely avoided its f l u s e a s o n d u e t o t h e s a me measures being used to counter Covid-19.”
Chief operating officer Craig Fenton said: “Future buildings cannot be designed and built the way they have been in the past.
“Worksafeai assesses building designs through extensive s i m u l a t i o n , h u m a n m o ve - m e n t m o d e l l i n g , i n f e c t i o n
modelling, and uses artificial intelligence [AI] to assess the risks to occupants’ health and wellbeing.
“As we have found with Covid-19, AI is essential to work through all the epidemiological models and building engineering to provide a comprehensive assessment of the suitability of a building design to minimise infection risk and maximise facility operation – protecting the health of building occupants while ensuring sustainable use of the facility.”
Adam Turner, external funding ser vice lead at The Data Lab, said: “We were more than happy to support Data Inno - vation.ai with its application for additional grant funding for this key expansion to their services.
“It’s great to see the team leveraging the ser vices of both The Data Lab and our par tners at Construction Scotland Innovation Centre to support their ongoing development.”