Localized Automation Solutions in Response to the First Wave of COVID-19: A Story from Vietnam

COVID-19 hits every country’s healthcare system and economy. There is a trend toward using automation technology in response to the COVID-19 crisis not only in developed countries but also in those with lower levels of technology development. However, current studies mainly focus on the world level and only a few ones report deployments at the country level. In this work, we investigate the use of automation solutions in Vietnam with locally available materials mainly in the first wave from January to July 2020. We collect COVID-related automation solutions during the first wave of COVID-19 in Vietnam from January to July 2020 through a search process. Our analysis and insights of a panel consisting of various disciplines (i.e. academia, healthcare, government, entrepreneur, media) aim at providing a clear picture of how and to what extent these solutions have been deployed. We found seven groups of solutions from low to high research and development levels (R&D) deployed across the country with various funding sources. Low R&D solutions were widely spread due to simplicity and affordability. High R&D solutions were mainly deployed in big cities. Most of the solutions were deployed during the first phases when international supply chains were limited with a significant contribution of the media. Higher R&D solutions have opportunities to be deployed in the reopening phase. However, challenges can be listed as limited interdisciplinary research teams, market demand, the local supporting industry, end-user validation, and social-ethical issues. To our best knowledge, this is the first study analyzing the use of automation technology in response to COVID-19 in Vietnam and also a country in Southeast Asia. Lessons learned from these current deployments are useful for future emerging infectious diseases. The reality of Vietnam’s automation solutions in response to COVID-19 might be a reference for other developing countries with similar social-economic circumstances and contributes to the global picture of how different countries adopt technology to combat COVID-19.

Jaar van publicatie:2022

Trefwoorden:automation, healthcare, localized solutions, Vietnam, COVID-19

Toegankelijkheid:Open