A team of researchers announced recently that by analyzing biometric data from a wearable device, they believe they can detect the onset of the COVID-19 virus’ symptoms in seemingly healthy individuals as much as three days in advance. As TechCrunch reports, the study was conducted by researchers from the West Virginia University (WVU), Rockefeller Neuroscience…
The Chinese voice recognition specialist iFlyTek is going against the grain with its sales strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has announced that it plans to open 1,000 physical retail outlets before the end of the year. The dramatic expansion will bring the company’s footprint to a total of around 3,000 locations. iFlyTek currently…
Biometric heart rate monitor manufacturer MyZone recently launched its new MZ-Remote app, a virtual gym training tool that aims to help people recreate the gym workout they are missing out on in their own home. MyZone manufactures the wearable biometric sensors and designs the software used by many gyms around the world for certain classes…
TensorMark and University Hospitals are moving forward with a strategic initiative to help reopen the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. TensorMark is a computer vision specialist, while University Hospitals is a health network that includes 18 hospitals and more than 50 outpatient health centers and 200 physician offices. Together, the two organizations will try to…
Huami is calling attention to a new study that suggests that wearable devices could help predict, monitor, and slow the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses. The study was sponsored by the Huami Corporation, which also provided the data for the research. To that end, Huami gave researchers access to de-identified sensor data from Huami…
In a major effort to speed up a slow-moving bureaucracy and help with a smooth reopening of its economy in the post-COVID-19 era, the government of Greece has announced plans to rapidly expand its digital services in 2020. With the country barely out of a decades-long financial crisis, the Greek government launched more than 500…
ABI Research is predicting that COVID-19 will accelerate the adoption of contactless payment cards. The firm now believes the number of cards issued in 2020 will exceed initial estimates by more than 110 million cards, a figure that will bring the total number of contactless payment cards in circulation to more than 2 billion internationally. …
Mastercard is offering free security assessments to small businesses in Canada. The initiative is specifically intended to support establishments that are conducting more business online due to the social distancing requirements associated with COVID-19. In that regard, Mastercard notes that many smaller businesses are scrambling to introduce new online services, and may not be prepared…
Having begun to expand from biometric airport screening to sports venue access and even biometric payments in recent years, CLEAR is now poised to move into the public health space with a new biometric screening service tailored for the age of COVID-19. Called Health Pass by CLEAR, the service will arrive this week in the…
Ericsson President and CEO Börje Ekholm kicked off the company’s UnBoxed Office series of online events with a keynote speech delivered from his home. In the keynote, Ekholm addressed some of the most pressing challenges facing the mobile industry during the COVID-19 crisis. “Our highest priority remains the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees,…
Yoti has officially delayed the 2020 iteration of its Digital Identity Fellowship Programme. The inaugural Programme was launched in April of 2019, leading to a cohort of three fellows selected from a pool of more than 120 applicants from upwards of 30 different countries. The Fellowship Programme was set up to provide a grassroots perspective…
With signs that online banking fraud is on the rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Buguroo is offering to investigate suspicious messages for free. The company has set up a new “Covid-19 Online Banking Fraud Resources Center” on its website, where it promises to offer regularly updated information about the latest fraud and social engineering campaigns.…
Digital identity specialist Yoti has announced the development of a new privacy-focused solution for the sharing of COVID-19 test credentials that uses biometrics and anti-spoofing technology. Yoti’s solution allows health organisations to issue, update and revoke trusted health credentials to an individual’s Yoti app using its secure platform, enabling them to share data with privacy…
MarketsandMarkets has released a new report that predicts that the market for edge AI software will grow from $470 million to $665 million between 2019 and 2021. Those numbers represent a CAGR of 19 percent. They also account for the impact of COVID-19. According to MarketsandMarkets, many organizations are operating in a suboptimal capacity due to the…
Apple has released the latest beta version of iOS 13, which includes an adjustment to the Face ID biometric authentication system in which if a user is wearing a face mask they can skip the process and go straight to the passcode screen. The change comes at a time when a growing number of people…
South African credit information bureau Xpert Decision Systems (XDS) announced that it has launched a new web-based automated facial biometrics solution that will allow its clients to remotely and securely authenticate their identity in real time. This announcement comes amid the global COVID-19 pandemic which has caused a large number of enterprises and consumers to…
Keesing Technologies is offering free identity verification services to essential organizations that are working to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. The announcement makes Keesing the latest identity specialist to offer free services in support of those organizations. In that regard, Keesing adds its name to a list that already includes Yoti, Jumio, and Onfido. Keesing itself…
Mastercard has released the results of a global survey that suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the adoption of contactless payments. An astonishing 79 percent of the respondents confirmed that they are now using contactless payments, with many citing safety as their primary motivation for doing so. To that end, 82 percent of the…
CommonSpirit Health at Home is expanding the scope of its remote patient monitoring platform to reduce the strain on public health infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Health at Home can help people with COVID-19, it is primarily geared towards at-risk individuals and patients with chronic health conditions who are avoiding urgent care centers and…
