The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Business
    • Financial
      • Investments
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Earnings
    • Markets
      • Agriculture
      • Healthcare
      • Logistics
      • Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Security
    • RBR50
      • RBR50 Winners 2025
      • RBR50 Winners 2024
      • RBR50 Winners 2023
      • RBR50 Winners 2022
      • RBR50 Winners 2021
  • Resources
    • Automated Warehouse Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • eBooks
    • Publications
      • Automated Warehouse
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Autonomous vehicles could be crucial in responding to future pandemics

By Eitan Grosbard | March 26, 2020

autonomous vehicles covid-19

Neolix’s autonomous vehicles delivering food and medical supply in Beijing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented public health, economic, and logistical challenges for the world. As billions of people shelter in place in hope of vanquishing the novel coronavirus, they’re turning to technology to adapt to the new normal – from e-commerce deliveries to videoconferencing solutions.

There’s a growing consensus that even if the outbreak ends in relatively short order, many of the changes it’s ushered in will not. Experts and thought leaders predict the pandemic marks a turning point that will hasten the digital revolution.

It also marks a pivotal moment for autonomous vehicle (AV) technology. Although the pandemic has halted many self-driving pilot programs, the long-term impact of the crisis will accelerate AV innovation. AVs will prove especially useful during future emergencies and outbreaks like the current one. Here’s how.

How autonomous vehicles can help

On a small scale, AVs are already demonstrating their value in a time of crisis. In China, autonomous vans have been deployed to deliver food and medical supplies to hard-hit areas, sanitize streets, and compensate for labor shortages.

In future outbreaks, we anticipate AVs will provide a useful means of transporting passengers to healthcare facilities, grocery stores, and pharmacies, while also maintaining sterilization and leveraging in-car technology to monitor passengers’ vital signs on the go.

Among the most valuable use cases for AVs will be in supplementing labor shortages in transportation, food delivery, and additional industries. Amid mounting reports of drivers and delivery workers showing up to work sick as companies scramble to keep pace with skyrocketing delivery demand, AVs look increasingly attractive not only as a way of keeping the public healthy, but for addressing critical labor shortages.

In the absence of widescale AV deployment, regulators have had to revisit rules designed to protect worker health and safety in a bid to keep supply chains moving. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently lifted rules limiting commercial truck drivers to 11 hours of driving time during a 14-hour work day – rules that had been instituted to reduce fatigue-induced highway accidents.

With autonomous trucks and delivery vehicles, however, businesses can achieve more efficient service requiring fewer workers – boosting productivity and keeping businesses up and running during challenging economic times.

Crucially, AVs can also help curb the spread of disease by enabling drop-offs and deliveries consistent with social distancing. For instance, Chinese autonomous vehicle platform Apollo has partnered with the start-up Neolix for food and medical supply deliveries in Beijing. While none of these use cases have been demonstrated at scale, they point to the potential benefits of AVs in times of crisis.

Waymo COVID-19 autonomous vehicles

Many self-driving pilot programs, including Waymo’s, have suspended operations to slow the spread of COVID-19. | Credit: Waymo

Healthcare centers on wheels

When the next pandemic or public health emergency strikes, AVs can play an even greater role in the response. Not only can traveling in an AV reduce the risk of disease transmission via human-to-human contact, but start-ups are currently developing solutions for monitoring vehicle cleanliness and air quality; measuring and recognizing airborne contaminants from ill passengers may not be far off.

Indeed, AVs are on the road to serving as healthcare centers on wheels. Take the Israel-based start-up Vayyar, which has developed technology that enables passenger breathing monitoring, e-calling with vital sign recording, and much more. Industry experts to a wide array of potential health benefits, including the use of biometric sensors that will store vital data in the clouds, electrodes built into passenger seats, and more. These features will not only enable treatment for acute illnesses, but can also help in earlier detection of disease.

It’s still early days, but AVs have shown real promise in addressing some of the biggest challenges confronting society amid public health crises. Once AVs achieve wider acceptance and adoption, their small-scale benefits will play out on a larger stage – reducing road accidents, maintaining supply chains, and monitoring people’s health.

There’s no small amount of irony in the fact that the coronavirus pandemic has put the pause on AV pilots – but over time, the world will see what citizens in countries like China are already seeing firsthand: In an outbreak, AVs are a critical part of the solution.

Eitan Grosbard

About the Author

Eitan Grosbard is Vice President of Business Development at Tactile Mobility, an Israel-based tactile sensing technology and data provider that enables actionable insights for autonomous vehicles, municipalities, insurers and fleet managers.

Tactile Mobility’s technology collects real-time data generated from car sensors and turns it into actionable insights such as road quality, tire grip, vehicle weight and other vehicle- and road-specific models.

Comments

  1. Thomas DePaoli says

    April 21, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    Good thoughts. More importantly AVs could replace public transportation which just spreads disease, is too costly, vulnerable to terrorist attack, and most systems are broken down. Individual AVs could have detachable passenger modules that could be sterilized better. Obviously large scale development of AVs is needed to replace public transportation like subways and buses. AV buses or vans would have to be designed with appropriate separation and protection. AVs could accomplish most deliveries of goods and services and reduce the number of people to people contacts. Many jobs can be done from home. Many government service jobs can be done from home. No need for huge government white elephant buildings.
    Also forgotten today are the principles of clean building design especially internally. Basically the internal layout, furniture position etc. is designed to be easily or more readily cleaned by janitors or cleaning robots. Hopefully we will see a resurgence in this.

    Reply

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles Read More >

By integrating robotics, advanced motion control, and intelligent safety systems, this innovative solution delivered exceptional results for a time sensitive infrastructure project.
Welding project uses robotics to crunch 12 workhours into 45 minutes
From surveillance to public service: the rise of drone swarms
atlas looks at the floor.
How Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid adapts to changing environments
The humanoid robot market is about to experience a boom, with projections indicating a substantial and sustained increase over the next decade, says Freudenberg.
Humanoid robots can benefit from high-performance seals, says Freudenberg

RBR50 Innovation Awards

“rr
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for Robotics Professionals.
The Robot Report Listing Database

Latest Episode of The Robot Report Podcast

Automated Warehouse Research Reports

Sponsored Content

  • Sager Electronics and its partners, logos shown here, will exhibit at the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo. Sager Electronics to exhibit at the Robotics Summit & Expo
  • The Shift in Robotics: How Visual Perception is Separating Winners from the Pack
  • An AutoStore automated storage and retrieval grid. Webinar to provide automated storage and retrieval adoption advice
  • Smaller, tougher devices for evolving demands
  • Modular motors and gearboxes make product development simple
The Robot Report
  • Automated Warehouse
  • RoboBusiness Event
  • Robotics Summit & Expo
  • About The Robot Report
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Business
    • Financial
      • Investments
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Earnings
    • Markets
      • Agriculture
      • Healthcare
      • Logistics
      • Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Security
    • RBR50
      • RBR50 Winners 2025
      • RBR50 Winners 2024
      • RBR50 Winners 2023
      • RBR50 Winners 2022
      • RBR50 Winners 2021
  • Resources
    • Automated Warehouse Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • eBooks
    • Publications
      • Automated Warehouse
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe