A project is under works in Qatar to develop a smart chip that could be attached to the face mask of the user and monitor, track and store his vital information including body temperature and breathing rate, Qatar TV was told on Monday.

The information was shared by Dr Saif al-Kuwari, assistant professor, Division of Information and Computing Technology (ICT) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University's (HBKU) College of Science and Engineering.

"An ongoing project targeting expatriate workers and funded by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and the Qatar National Research Fund, has been modified considering the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic," he explained.

Then information stored in the smart chip can be transferred to a mobile phone or a compatible device and relayed to a server or centre for the necessary procedures.

Dr al-Kuwari revealed that the ICT Division at HBKU is realigning its projects in the light of the Covid-19 outbreak.

There is a project to analyse information compiled from social media about the interests of people, the topics of their discussions, circulation of Covid-19 related messages and affirming the authenticity of the same and advising the authorities concerned to help them take the proper measures.

Another project is a mobile app for those advised home quarantine and to maintain social distance. The app would track the movement of the persons concerned and evaluate to what degree they are following the instructions and give them feedback accordingly while maintaining privacy.



Related Story