Innovation during covid-19

13/12/2020

Tech innovation has played a big role in winning. But it's not the only factor.

https://fb.watch/2lK_d9UDHq/

11/12/2020

Dubai has been open for tourism since summer, life has transformed into the new normal. And now Abu Dhabi is also resuming all tourism and entertainment.

But how did the UAE achieve this?

Before covid hit, the UAE had already launched its Digital Vision with Dubai Internet City, eGovernment, eDirham, UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence etc etc

During the crisis tech also helped to get things under control and succesfuly give everyone the freedom to get out and enjoy a new social life again after lockdown, in a safe way (negative test, social distancing and mask wearing rules)

"Police used smart helmets equipped with a thermal camera to detect those infected with COVID-19 from a safe distance. The helmets were also equipped with sensors that could recognise faces and vehicle plate numbers. Recognition of vehicle plate numbers was useful in identifying people who stepped out during the disinfection hours without the necessary permit.

Robots and drones were used to sterilize streets. Devices that spray mist as paramedics walked through them were used to sanitize them. The device detects movements and sprays the disinfectant only when a person passes through it; thus, saving energy. The device also dispenses hand sanitizers.

Artificial Intelligence would not work efficiently without the use of big data and blockchain. To support the ethical use of big data, the UAE:

1. Launched the open data guidelines
2. Adopted open data policy
3. Launched Dubai Data strategy whose aim is to optimise use of data for data providers
4. Passed the Dubai Data law with an aim to protect the data and privacy of an individual
5. Launched DubaiPulse, that will serve as the central platform for providing computing and storage services, core analytic services and big data services"

* https://news.itu.int/how-uae-is-boosting-its-digital-transformation-in-the-face-of-covid-19/

https://lovin.co/dubai/en/coronavirus/abu-dhabi-to-resume-all-tourism-and-entertainment-activities

Abu Dhabi is going from strength to strength to fully resume ALL economic, tourism, cultural and entertainment activities in two weeks.

08/12/2020

China used a lot of tech & innovation to combat the crisis and is back to normal since May / June. Here is what it is like to walk on the busy streets of Shanghai right now.

My session from April on innovation during covid-19 in China can be found as pinned video on this page :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff29nDLBzaA

★★ The Bund ★★ ------------------------------ Coming to Shanghai and missing the Bund is like visiting Beijing and bypassing the Forbidden City or the Great ...

05/12/2020

18/09/2020

"[In future] there might be a variation of Covid-19 or a bad flu season, so this technology can have applications beyond the current pandemic"

Aaron Hornlimann, CEO, Elenium Automation

https://www.scmp.com/native/tech/innovation/topics/machine-learning-data-powered-innovations/article/3101899/ML-AI

AI can help computers recognise speech, predict people’s behaviour, detect signs of illness in passengers at airport check-ins and reduce fraudulent business transactions

17/09/2020

https://technode.com/2020/09/17/more-than-100000-riders-have-used-baidu-robotaxis

Accelerating passenger numbers for the Baidu self-driving pilot underscore China’s growing efforts to win the global autonomous vehicle race.

05/09/2020

Air Asia's Contactless Travel Experience ✈️
https://youtu.be/81cJyDdRJR4?t=44

Your safety remains our top priority, so we encourage you to follow our new travel process with contactless features, which covers every step of your journey...

31/08/2020

Driving is a skill of the past, self driving electric taxi's will take over. (this is currently already being tested in China). And after the roads they will aim for the sky. Here is what those flying cars might look like.

Next: self flying cars! 🚗✈️

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA9ah0zf9MQ

撮影：8月上旬 SkyDriveは「空飛ぶクルマ」と「カーゴドローン」の開発/販売/運航サービスを行うスタートアップです。 安全/性能/デザインを突き詰めた新しい有人機「SD-03」を、世界初公開いたしました。 ▼ホームページ ht...

29/08/2020

IoT, internet of things powered by 5G is already enabling miners in China to work remotely. Will workers in the future still need to be physically in factories?
Besides learning how to interact with other humans, the next generation will need to be excelling in handling their digital twin.


https://ciotechasia.com/5g-enables-chinese-miners-to-work-remotely/

Miners in China use 5G for everything including, remote operations of excavators. China-based mining company China Molybdenum has applied 5G technology in the Sandaozhuang mine to help its miners use excavators remotely, reports several media publications. With its high speed and low latency, the te...

29/08/2020

Great sprint demo by Elon Musk of neuralink. The next step to a digital brain interface!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLUWDLKAF1M

Elon Musk showed off Neuralink's new implantable brain chip and demonstrated it working in real time on a pig. Subscribe to CNET: https://www.youtube.com/use...

09/08/2020

02/08/2020

Great solution to express yourself while wearing a mask!

https://soranews24.com/2020/08/03/japanese-amusement-park-offers-mask-stickers-so-guests-can-silently-scream-on-roller-coasters/

Scream with your mask, not with your mouth.

04/07/2020

We are a few months in a new era. Has your business already moved to e-commerce & live streaming?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elAEoeadhWY

You may have heard about the popularity of livestreaming in China, especially when it comes to shopping. The founders of New York-based fashion company And L...

31/05/2020

Crisis, a lack of support, Elon Musk keeps going. You can see his electric cars on the road, a series of Starlink satellites in the sky to provide high speed internet in remote areas and now he launched commercial space travel.

What an inspiration!

https://twitter.com/i/status/1266824198502178816

“Remember this 2015 Elon interview: when no one believes and even your childhood heroes are against you - keep going. Incredible! 🚀 https://t.co/GHM3BPgea1”

29/05/2020

Ghana uses drones to dliver vaccines and snake antivenom. 💉🛩

https://www.facebook.com/simonjwils/videos/321866915467817

28/05/2020

Going to restaurants again yeey 😋 Getting those menus everybody has been touching? No Thanks 😑

But there is hope: scan the qr code on the table with your phone, checkout the virtual menu, find out which dishes other guests enjoyed most, order & enjoy your meal!

My record in China was getting the food served at my table less than a minute after I ordered 😎
It's also very convenient to order dishes that got the highest review score from other foodies!
And it saves the staff in the restaurant a lot of hassle as well. They have much more time to pay attention to the guests instead of taking orders and handling payments.

https://youtu.be/cj2Fh8aX148?t=84
(Video from 2017)

Imagine being able to order your favourite hawker food and pay for it all within the same app. In China, that is a reality with mobile apps such as WeChat Pa...

26/05/2020

Need some support in dealing with the rising demand in online orders?

Amsterdam based startup WeGo might have a solution for you.

"These days, you need to serve customers where they are. But this can be challenging, whether you’re new to managing your own deliveries or are trying to keep up with the surge in online orders.

What if you could plan delivery routes and manage your drivers effectively?

Let us support you through this transition. HERE WeGo Deliver helps you mobilize your workforce to start your own delivery routing quickly.

To help small businesses like yours better respond to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, we are offering it at no cost until the end of 2020."

https://www.here.com/wegodeliver

With COVID-19 pandemic keeping consumers at home, it is crucial to add a delivery service to your local business. Learn how HERE WeGo Deliver can help kickstart your online delivery operations in minutes. 

24/05/2020

Facebook has announced a few cool features to make it easy for smalls shops to sell online.

- 🛍 Facebook Shops makes it possible transform your page into an e-commerce platform without any technical knowledge. Good thing is your store will be accessible on Instagram as well.

- 📸 Instagram Shop will let you not only "like" but also buy everything you see in a picture.

- 🎥 Live stream shopping is already huge in China on platforms like douyin and wechat. With this feature it will be possible to tag products from your Facebook / Instagram shop before you go live. Now your followers can not only see the products you are demonstrating, they can buy them during your live stream!

- 🙋‍♀ Connecting Loyalty Programs to Your Facebook will make it possible to earn and redeem loyalty points within Facebook shops.

These features will also be integrated with Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram direct messages. This way Facebook will start to look more and more like an ecosystem. Looking at what is currently already possible with Wechat and Alipay in China it will be interesting to see which other features Facebook will release.

Great steps to transform businesses! Which feature do you like best?

23/05/2020

More and more shops are opening up again. At the same time a lot of customers have been introduced to e-commerce during the lock downs. This creates an opportunity to mix offline and online retail to meet the needs of different types of shoppers.
Why not live stream your in store experience to consumers who prefer to stay at home? 🛒🎁🎥📱


https://twitter.com/AlibabaGroup/status/1260408495859531777?s=20

“China's leading department-store chain, Intime, has been able to recover swiftly from the coronavirus outbreak thanks to its digital innovations and robust omnichannel infrastructure. Here's how the retailer adapted to the pandemic: https://t.co/1Z1dxFPcJZ https://t.co/2w8RPn8QoO”

21/05/2020

Last month a pizza company in Chicago decided to transform their business. Instead of tasty slices of pizza they started baking face shields. This has quite a few benefits. The employees in the restaurant can keep working, they can even produce something that really matters in the current situation and be part of the solution.
So after this crisis they can still go back to baking pizzas and they can even have a second side business.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhBgHpkHsjA

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for free here: https://sc.mp/subscribe-youtube Dimo’s Pizza, a pizza restaurant in Chicago, Illinois is using its pizza oven...

18/05/2020

Very interesting podcast on how technology is changing the way we die and mourn.

On tomb sweeping day (Qingming Festival) many people in China but also in other parts of Asia remember their ancestors by cleaning and sweeping of graves, offering food to the deceased and burning joss paper (ghost or spirit money and nowadays also paper iphones / tech gadgets. The tradition believes that respecting the ancestors will bring good fortune and wealth in return.

In China alone about 112 million people often travel far (sometimes the other side of the country) with the whole family to visit the tombs of their ancestor. Given the pandemic there have been more online alternatives. The concierge is video calling family while sweeping the tomb for them and funerals are live streamed.

More interesting insights in digital grief.

https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9jbXMuc2NtcC5jb20vcnNzL2dvb2dsZV9hc3Npc3RhbnQvMzI1NDc3L21lZGlhX3Jzcy54bWw_YXJ0aWNsZS10eXBlPTMyOTQzNA&ep=14&episode=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2NtcC5jb20vcG9kY2FzdHMvaW5zaWRlLWNoaW5hLXRlY2gvMzA4NDAzMy9ob3ctdGVjaG5vbG9neS1oYXMtY2hhbmdlZC13YXktd2UtZGllLWFuZC1tb3Vybg

People around the world are adapting how they mourn their loved ones amid the coronavirus pandemic. Live-streaming funerals are being organised, while social media accounts of the dead are being transformed into virtual memorial pages. However, one's digital presence can be vulnerable. On this episo...

16/05/2020

How do you re-open a theme park like °o° Disneyland °o°, a place where a lot of people gather?

15/05/2020

A harsh reality is pushing everyone to find new solutions. This cardboard hospital bed can transform into a cardboard coffin. Meant for Corona patients.

https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa/status/1260956951455948802?s=21

“A new invention 😟 A cardboard hospital bed that can transform into a cardboard coffin. Meant for Corona patients. https://t.co/KsKKhxxQYj”

14/05/2020

The new normal in the Gym 💪🏻

09/05/2020

Interesting talk with Elon Musk about Tesla and Neurolink.
"Today, if you don’t bring your phone along it’s like you have missing limb syndrome. It feels like something’s really missing. We’re already partly a cyborg or an AI symbiote, essentially it’s just that the data rate to the electronics is slow. Especially output, like you’re just going with your thumbs. I mean like what’s your data rate? Optimistically, a hundred bits per second. That’s being generous."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcYjXbSJBN8

Elon Musk is a business magnet, entrepreneur and engineer.

08/05/2020

McDonald's in the Netherlands is thinking about how to reopen their restaurants in a safe way. 🍔🍟😷
Everyone has to wash their hands when entering and orders are made on big touch screens which are disinfected after every use.
Electronic payments avoid unnecessary contact.

It's great to see more business realize that transformation is the only way forward. I would even go a few steps further:
- order through a mobile app (by scanning a QR code in the restaurant)
- contact-less mobile payments (nfc, qr code, apple pay Samsung pay

As Mc Donald's has 2,391 restaurants in China I am sure they learned a lot about offering a contact-less happy meal.

07/05/2020

03/05/2020

Traveling, physically going from one place to another and being flabbergasted by what you taste, see, hear, feel and smell.
The current VR experiences don't come close yet, although watching the videos from Rambalac make you feel like you are actually walking the streets of Japan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gMM0wZlXQw)

Restarting travel is tricky as re-importing cases from other countries is something all countries worry about so a covid-19 vaccination certificate might become something real. It could work similar like the yellow fever vaccination certificate which is required to enter for example The Democratic Republic of Congo. So in the future you might need more than just a passport to travel.

Airlines like Air Asia have invested in branded personal protective equipment. Together with a long list of measures like temperature checks, airplane disinfection and contact less check-in they are ready for a new part of their journey.

Needless to say it will take a while before long haul travel is back to normal. In the mean while the travel industry needs to focus on domestic guests and rethink cancellation policies. It will also help to focus on sustainable tourism with less flying. In China and Japan for example bullet trains already offer good alternatives for domestic travel.

The transformation in the travel industry can also involve AI that recommends itineraries that fit our profile which will also reduce overtourism. Personalized travel experiences instead of heading to the picture perfect Instagram location with most likes.

Travel might have been hit hard but it creates a huge potential for innovation. It's one of the first industries impacted by this crisis but who knows, maybe also the first one that will be ready for a new normal?

01/05/2020

Smart move from Selecta Belgium nv. Exchanging some of their snack/drink vending machines 🍫 for safety vending machines 😷 with personal protective items like masks, gloves and gels.
Being agile, making changes quickly and continuously adapt to the new normal is what will give some companies a new start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJU1MCYGBZU&feature=emb_title

Voorzie je medewerkers, klanten en bezoekers 24/7 van alle covid-19 beschermmateriaal.

28/04/2020

What is the future of your office building?
Does it make sense to all rush to the same physical location at 8 am enduring traffic jams?
For many industries remote working tools allow us to get things done from any location on earth as long as there is a good internet connection.
Face 2 face meetings are still important but the location can be flexible. It could be a coffee shop, a hotel lobby, a co working space, ... as long as the setup suits our needs and it's convenient to reach for all parties involved.
Maybe your far away office is a convenient meeting location for people from other companies living close by, why not rent part of it or transform it into a coffee working hub.
This new normal will push e-commerce to the next level, will the same happen to e-work? What do you think?