April 15, 2020
Andrew Campbell
On April 10, tech giants Apple and Google parent company, Alphabet, announced their joint project in utilizing the so-called contact tracing to help public health officials identify and notify individuals who have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19 infection. Basically, Apple and Google are working on developing a platform by means of the Bluetooth connections built into their millions of smartphones.
The Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) radio technology is a low-powered alternative to standard Bluetooth technology and widely supported by almost all modern smartphones. Meanwhile, the Bluetooth LE’s proximity profile (PXP), the core technology that Bluetooth relies on for device locating and tracking purposes, measures the power level received from a Bluetooth radio signal, can track physical location for a certain level of precision.
Apple and Google hope their ultimate goal in setting up a contact tracing system that can alert anyone who is at risk of contracting Coronavirus to self-isolate, effectively cutting off the Coronavirus pandemic within communities.
Photo:Webshot.