8 Technology Trends to Watch in the COVID-19 Pandemic 新冠疫情中的八大科技趋势

官华宇

During the COVID-19 pandemic， technologies are playing a crucial role in keeping our society functional in a time of lockdowns and quarantines. And these technologies may have a long-lasting impact beyond COVID-19.

1. Online shopping and robot deliveries

In late 2002， the SARS outbreak led to a tremendous growth of both business-to-business and business-to-consumer online marketplace platforms in China.

Similarly， COVID-19 has transformed online shopping from a nice-to-have to a must-have around the world. Some bars in Beijing have even continued to offer happy hours1 through online orders and delivery.

Online shopping needs to be supported by a robust logistics system. In-person delivery is not virus-proof. Many delivery companies and restaurants in the US and China are launching contactless delivery services where goods are picked up and dropped off at a designated location instead of from or into the hands of a person. Chinese e-commerce giants are also ramping up2 their development of robot deliveries. However， before robot delivery services become prevalent， delivery companies need to establish clear protocols to safeguard the sanitary condition of delivered goods.

2. Digital and contactless payments

Cash might carry the virus， so central banks in China， US and South Korea have implemented various measures to ensure banknotes are clean before they go into circulation. Now， contactless digital payments， either in the form of cards or e-wallets， are the recommended payment method to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Digital payments enable people to make online purchases and payments of goods， services and even utility payments3， as well as to receive stimulus funds4 faster.

However， according to the World Bank， there are more than 1.7 billion unbanked people， who may not have easy access to digital payments. The availability of digital payments also relies on internet availability， devices and a network to convert cash into a digitalized format.

3. Remote work

Many companies have asked employees to work from home. Remote work is enabled by technologies including virtual private networks5 （VPNs）， voice over internet protocols6 （VoIPs）， virtual meetings， cloud technology， work collaboration tools and even facial recognition technologies that enable a person to appear before a virtual background to preserve the privacy of the home. In addition to preventing the spread of viruses， remote work also saves commute time and provides more flexibility.

Yet remote work also imposes challenges to employers and employees. Information security， privacy and timely tech support can be big issues. Remote work can also complicate labour law issues， such as those associated with providing a safe work environment and income tax issues. Employees may experience loneliness and lack of work-life balance. If remote work becomes more common after the COVID-19 pandemic， employers may decide to reduce lease costs and hire people from regions with cheaper labour costs.

Laws and regulations must be updated to accommodate remote work—and further psychological studies need to be conducted to understand the effect of remote work on people.

Further， not all jobs can be done from home， which creates disparity. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics， about 25% of wage and salary workers7 worked from home at least occasionally from 2017 to 2018. Workers with college educations are at least five times more likely to have jobs that allow them to work from home compared with people with high school diplomas. Some professions， such as medical services and manufacturing， may not have the option at all. Policies with respect to data flows and taxation would need to be adjusted should the volume of cross-border digital services rise significantly.

4. Distance learning

As of mid-April， 191 countries announced or implemented school or university closures， impacting 1.57 billion students. Many educational institutions started offering courses online to ensure education was not disrupted by quarantine measures. Technologies involved in distant learning are similar to those for remote work and also include virtual reality8， augmented reality9， 3D printing and artificial-intelligence-enabled robot teachers.

Concerns about distance learning include the possibility the technologies could create a wider divide in terms of digital readiness10 and income level. Distance learning could also create economic pressure on parents—more often women—who need to stay home to watch their children and may face decreased productivity at work.

5. Telehealth

Telehealth can be an effective way to contain the spread of COVID-19 while still providing essential primary care. Wearable personal IoT11 devices can track vital signs. Chatbots can make initial diagnoses based on symptoms identified by patients.

However， in countries where medical costs are high， its important to ensure telehealth will be covered by insurance. Telehealth also requires a certain level of tech literacy to operate， as well as a good internet connection. And as medical services are one of the most heavily regulated businesses， doctors typically can only provide medical care to patients who live in the same jurisdiction12. Regulations， at the time they were written， may not have envisioned a world where telehealth would be available.

6. Online entertainment

Although quarantine measures have reduced in-person interactions significantly， human creativity has brought the party online. Cloud raves and online streaming of concerts have gain traction around the world. Chinese film production companies also released films online. Museums and international heritage sites offer virtual tours13. There has also been a surge of online gaming traffic since the outbreak.

7. Supply Chain 4.0

The COVID-19 pandemic has created disruptions to the global supply chain. With distancing and quarantine orders， some factories are completely shut down. Some countries have implemented different levels of export bans on food and personal protective equipment. Heavy reliance on paper-based records， a lack of visibility on data and lack of diversity and flexibility have made existing supply chain system vulnerable to any pandemic.

Core technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution， such as Big Data， cloud computing， Internet-of-Things （“IoT”） and blockchain are building a more resilient supply chain management system for the future by enhancing the accuracy of data and encouraging data sharing.

8. Robotics and drones

COVID-19 makes the world realize how heavily we rely on human interactions to make things work. Labor intensive businesses， such as retail， food， manufacturing and logistics are the worst hit.

COVID-19 provided a strong push to rollout the usage of robots and research on robotics. In recent weeks， robots have been used to disinfect areas and to deliver food to those in quarantine. Drones have walked dogs and delivered items.

The importance of digital readiness

COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of digital readiness， which allows business and life to continue as usual—as much as possible—during pandemics. Building the necessary infrastructure to support a digitized world and stay current in the latest technology will be essential for any business or country to remain competitive in a post-COVID-19 world.                                          ■

在2019冠狀病毒病大流行期间，为了维持我们的社会在封锁和隔离期的正常运作，各种技术正扮演着至关重要的角色。而这些技术带来的长期影响可能会延续到疫情结束之后。

1. 线上购物与机器人配送

2002年年底，非典疫情的暴发使中国涌现了一大批商家对商家、商家对顾客的线上市场平台。

类似地，新冠疫情在全球范围内把线上购物从“有也不错”变成了“必备不可”。北京的一些酒吧甚至通过线上订单和配送继续给顾客提供打折优惠。

线上购物需要强大的物流系统来支撑。因为人力配送不能防止病毒传播，美国和中国的多家快递公司和餐饮店推出了无接触派送服务，货物不再经人手传递，而是在特定的地点收取和投放。中国各大电商巨头也在大力发展机器人派送技术。然而，在机器人派送服务流行起来以前，快递公司需要制订出清晰的操作规程以保证派送货物的卫生条件。