Individuals, businesses and innovations that have provided some relief from the effects of the pandemic

A look at the individuals and businesses that have showed empathy and resilience during this challenging year

From diagnostic tests to disinfection robots, Singapore has harnessed the use of technology in the fight against Covid-19. Two notable innovations include Swabbot, a self‑administered robot which allows patients to activate and terminate the swabbing process at will, and ithermo, an artificial intelligence (AI)driven system to speed up temperature screenings by up to five times. To help reduce a healthcare worker’s risk of exposure to Covid-19, the Swabbot project was initiated in April by clinicians from the National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore General Hospital and DUKE-NUS Medical School who collaborated with Biobot Surgical, a Singapore-based company specialising in medical robotics technology, to develop a clinical prototype within three months. Unveiled in September, the test takes just 20 seconds from start to finish. Meanwhile, the ithermo solution was jointly developed within two weeks in February by Singapore’s health tech agency, Integrated Health Information System, and Singapore-based healthcare start-up Kronikare by adapting technology from the latter’s existing wound-scanning device. AI Singapore, a national AI accelerator programme, helped scale and get approval for the deployment of the device to healthcare institutions, offices and malls islandwide.