Start-ups assisting government to combat COVID-19

Covid-19 pandemic has shoved a big spanner in the operations of businesses across industries. While the government is tracking the COVID-19 cases in the country and is planning to increase the lockdown across the country, there are these five digital start-ups that have come up with the new solution to deal with it.

Haptik – Launched WhatsApp chatbot for the Government
The Government has launched a WhatsApp chatbot to help address queries around the Coronavirus outbreak. The chatbot ‘MyGov Corona Helpdesk’ has been developed and implemented by Haptik, an AI platform. The data that is being shared is verified from the Ministry of Health. The chatbot is equipped to resolve FAQs pertaining to the novel coronavirus. This includes necessary precautionary measures, symptoms, correct and incorrect facts, helpline numbers, affected cases in the region, government advisories (including travel), informational videos, among others. This is to curb the spread of fake news on WhatsApp.

Staqu – Launched AI-powered thermal camera for Covid-19 detection
The Gurgaon-based start-up Staqu launched a new thermal camera under its video analytics platform, JARVIS. The latest technology will alert the system of anyone with a body temperature of above 37° C and examines heat signatures directly through the cameras, enabling authorities to identify and further inspect suspected virus carriers. The camera has a range of up to 100 meters and can identify multiple people at the same time. The technology is functional and effective in scanning crowded places like airports, railway stations, and malls, among others.

The marketplaces’ location sharing and health mapping features can be used for effective contact tracing, which has been the strongest aid in fighting COVID-19 so far. The insights gathered by the Aiisma ecosystem naturally create a digital fence against the COVID-19 spread, supporting citizens and authorities in the fight against the virus. In light of the current COVID-19 situation, Aiisma has also expedited the release of its health mapping feature for individuals, to manually share and monitor health insights. Increased use of the app will enable authorities with pro-active responses, due to sudden variations in the data pool.  It also intends to release a trigger function for authorities to send anonymous alerts to any Aiisma users who might have come in contact with any positive tested carrier.

Zoomcar – Succoring essential service providers
India’s self-drive mobility platform, Zoomcar, has stepped up to ease the emergency transportation woes faced during the lockdown period. While Zoomcar grounded its fleet in accordance with the government’s shutdown order, the company is utilizing select vehicles to ensure emergency mobility for the frontline workforce, including bankers, healthcare professionals, and delivery executives. Zoomcar has partnered with various organizations that are considered essential in this lockdown period to ensure their employees are provided a safe commuting option. The service ensures these partnering organizations are able to lower the barriers for essential personnel to come in and serve the critical day to day and emergency needs of the citizens.

Trell – Doctors becoming influencers to educate Indians on Covid-19
Trell is a community-based platform that enables lifestyle discovery through user-generated original content in regional Indian languages. Trell caters to the entertainment needs of India’s vernacular consumers. The company’s USP lies in offering specially curated content by the doctors who are educating Trell users about coronavirus. The app’s user-base is predominantly from tier-II and tier-III cities.