Written by OUYANG Ruize
Research Analyst ofthe Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding (iGCU), PKU
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, entities, departments and units at all levels in China have taken urgent prevention and control measures against the epidemic as the most vital task, to mobilize comprehensively, respond promptly, and make concerted efforts in combating the global pandemic.
Due to the long incubation period and strong infectivity of the novel coronavirus, it is faced with great difficulties and challenges in prevention and control. To help fight against it, China uses 5G and related high-tech means to build up a strong “Great Wall” to reduce risks, race with time and support prevention and control in all walks of life.
Pic1:(5G)
5G technology provides crucial communication support in the fields of emergency command, transportation hinge and hospital management. It also plays a safeguarding role in public health management such as remote control and consultation, big data services, the application of medical robot and infrared thermometer.
5G+ Remote Consultation
In order to make full use of expert resources from large cities and hospitals, 5G+ Remote Consultation System was quickly implemented in many hospitals across the country. With the remote medical equipment covered by 5G network, experts can interact with patients in real time and conduct online consultation without entering the isolated wards. These consultation cameras are well connected to the 5G CPE equipment for transmitting video signals through the 5G base station.
Pic2:(Remote consultation site at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou)
Furthermore, it also carried out inquiry and diagnosis for severe and critical patients in remote areas. The dual-stream transmission scheme is adopted to transfer both camera video signals and medical diagnosis data which are exceedingly valuable to provide treatment guidance. 5G+ Remote Consultation System contributes to effectively reduce the direct contact between doctors and patients, lower the risk of cross-infection, make the epidemic prevention and control work more efficient and convenient.
5G+ Unmanned Vehicle
Based on the combination of 5G and unmanned driving technology, 5G+ Unmanned Vehicle could carry out a high-automatic unmanned operation and zero-contact work in specific locations, by connecting to the remote operation center through 5G network, functioning as intelligent disinfection, cargo transportation, patrol monitoring, epidemic prevention broadcasting, etc., which greatly reduces the risk of infection for front-line operators and improves work efficiency.
Pic3:( A 5G+ Unmanned Vehicle working at a free trade port area)
At present, it has been launched in Wuhan, Xi'an, Shenzhen and other cities, offering a strong scientific and technological guarantee for anti-epidemic battle, the resumption of work, production and normal life.
5G+ Intelligent Medical Robot
At hospitals and health service centers in Hubei, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong and other provinces, a kind of big-cartoonish-eye, screen-on-chest, two-wheeled robot has already performed some medical services for a while. As a creation combining 5G and artificial intelligence, the robot helps medical staff to conduct consultation, disinfection, cleaning, and delivering.
Pic4:(The staff is debugging the 5G+ Intelligent Medical Robot on site)
Concerning these tasks are large and tedious, the wide utilization of this robot can effectively relieve the shortage and share the work of medical staff, reduce the risks of cross-infection, improve the level of quarantine control in the wards, and boost the confidence in fighting against the novel coronavirus. In the future, more intelligent robots are likely to be stationed in designated hospitals across the country.
5G+ Live Broadcast
To present the actual situation in the front-line area of fighting against COVID-19, 5G+ Live Broadcast technologies have provided an all-dimensional, multi-angle, high-stability, and 24-hour network supervisory platform for hundreds of millions of people across the country and the world, to witness the real-time construction site in Huoshenshan Hospital and Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan since Jan 28, through the People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, China Daily and a number of mainstream medias.
Pic5:(24-hour live broadcast of the two significant hospitals’ construction)
The 5G wireless transmission of this live broadcast is more flexibly carried out wherever there is a signal, once again amazing the globe that how the fastest-ever-built hospitals in history are accomplished by China speed. With the 5G technological support, it tightly linked people’s concern and medical fighter in the battlefield, to firmly show the determination and confidence in defeating the pandemic.
5G+ Thermal Imaging Temperature Detection
This high-tech product combining with current biometrics technology, thermal imaging temperature measurement, video intelligent analysis, 5G and other technical means, is widely used in crowded areas, to effectively screen the temperature of a large number of flows, identify the anomalies, and transmit the data back to a cloud computing center for recording and monitoring.
Pic6:(5G+ Thermal Imaging Temperature Detection working on site)
Functioned through face recognition, automatic alarm, and contactless temperature detection, the 5G+ Thermal Imaging Temperature Detection technology has acted as an outstanding “scout” with the characteristics of high precision, efficiency, safety, reliability and low cost, which helps to build up the first line of defense against COVID-19 with effective prevention and timely control, being massively utilized in hospitals, schools, shopping malls, industrial parks, and public transportation sites such as airports, metro and railway stations.
On March 23, according to the new instructions of the Central Leading Group on COVID-19 outbreak, the current transmission of the domestic epidemic in China, mainly in Wuhan, has been basically blocked, but the risk of sporadic cases outbreaks still exists, and both imported cases and spread within the city should be prevented. In order to gradually restore production and living, 5G technologies armed with its high speed, low latency, large bandwidth advantages, will continue to play a positive and irreplaceable role in boosting the control and restoration hand in hand, such as online office and school, intelligence community and city.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology(MIIT) made an announcement on promoting the innovative development of 5G techs on the following day. As a strategy of "5G+ Medical and Health", MIIT will pursue in developing a 5G smart medical system, demonstration network, and accelerating the application of 5G technologies in epidemic early warning, pre-hospital emergency treatment, remote consultation, intelligent image-assisted diagnosis and other medical services.
Facing with the outbreak, it has shown the world that the bright prospect of scientific and technological innovation, especially the integration of 5G technology with industries, medical care, education and other vertical fields, which spawned a variety of refreshing and valuable 5G+ measures in combating COVID-19 and addressing global public health security. As a key infrastructure in supporting the transformation into a digital and intelligent society, 5G techs not only play a prominent role in epidemic prevention and control and the resumption of industrial and production, but also exert an extraordinary energy in stabilizing investment, promoting consumption, upgrading facilitation and fostering new drivers of economic development.
Practices have proved that the prevention and control of COVID-19 cannot be carried out timely and proceeded smoothly without the support of science and technology. As long as we work together, with the best use of scientific and technological measures, we will be able to surmount difficulties, overcome disasters, halt the spread of the epidemic, win the battle against it, and eventually resume our normal life at an early date.
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