Singapore to launch wearable device for coronavirus contact tracing soon
As of June 4, Singapore has confirmed 36,922 coronavirus cases.
Roslan Rahman / AFP / Getty Images
Singapore announced on Friday that it plans to launch a portable device to help with this Corona virus Contact tracking that, according to local media, can be extended to Singapore’s 5.7 million residents if it proves effective.
“We are developing and will soon launch a portable handheld device that … does not depend on having a smartphone,” said Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to the parliament. “I think this will be more inclusive and ensure that we are all protected.”
The new portable device is Singapore’s attempt at an additional contact tracking method and is coming when the city-state struggled with one of the highest number of cases in Asia after being praised for its “gold standard” response to the corona virus in the early stages of the pandemic. It can be kept in a handbag or worn at the end of a lanyard, Balakrishnan said in one Interview with Sky News Australia in May.
In March the city-state had one of the first nationwide contact tracking apps called TraceTogether, Bluetooth signals are used to help authorities determine who has been exposed to patients infected with the coronavirus. But it hasn’t been widely downloaded by Singaporeans and doesn’t work as well on Apple or iOS devices that stop Bluetooth when the app is running in the background. The island nation also has Use of robot dogs developed by Boston Dynamics in the USA in a local park to Remind visitors to practice appropriate social distancing.
As of Thursday, Singapore confirmed a total of 36,922 coronavirus cases.
