Innovation and possible long-term impact driven by COVID-19: Manufacturing, personal protective equipment and digital technologies

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101541Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Economic and societal pressure due to COVID-19 has driven technological innovation.

  • Manufacturing has undergone operational shifts and increased collaborative focus.

  • 3D printing has been incorporated for production of various technologies.

  • Innovation in personal protective equipment/procedures will reduce medical waste.

  • Digital technological innovation may cause long-term systemic shifts.

Abstract

It is known that discrete events causing extreme societal and economic pressures as well as technological opportunity are major driving factors of innovation. Due to the presence of both of these factors during the COVID-19 pandemic it was hypothesized that there would be significant on-going innovation throughout society during the pandemic, with many of the innovations having the ability to have long-term societal impact. Analysis of literature and patent databases determined sectors of accelerated innovation to include manufacturing, personal protective equipment and digital technologies. The ability of flexible and advanced manufacturing technologies to provide more adaptable production capabilities that are less susceptible to disruption, make it likely that these technologies will be incorporated further, changing the way many manufacturing firms operate. Collaboration has increased, demonstrating increases in problem-solving efficiency; however, concerns around intellectual property is likely to reduce the long-term impact of these procedural changes. Advancements in personal protective equipment and disinfection technologies may have the long-term impact of reducing waste production and triggering changes in cleaning protocols throughout society. Digital technologies such as telemedicine, data collection, artificial intelligence and communication technologies were found to have undergone significant innovation, with possible impacts such as large-scale systemic shifts, and changes in how governments, corporations, the scientific community and the public interact.

Keywords

COVID-19
Technological innovation
Telemedicine
Artificial intelligence
3D Printing

Cited by (0)

Amanda Zimmerling completed her BSc. in Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta in June 2020. She has been accepted into the Direct-Entry PhD program for Biomedical Engineering starting Fall 2020. She is also the recipient of a Deans Research Award at the University of Saskatchewan for her previous undergraduate research in tissue engineering and development of novel materials for 3D printing. Her PhD research will be focussed on the use of 3D printing technologies in combatting infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

Dr. Chen is a Professor with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Division of Biomedical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan (USask), Canada. He received his Ph.D. degree from USask in 2002 and was then working on his Post-Doctorate with Queen's University, Canada. In 2003 he joined USask as an Assistant Professor, then was promoted to Associate Professor and Full Professor in 2007 and 2010, respectively. His teaching and research interests include 3D bioprinting, tissue engineering, and mechatronics. Dr. Chen is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE).

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