The race to make more ventilators. Robots on the frontline and how to look sharp on a digital date. This week, the uk went into lockdown over the continuing coronavirus crisis. We were told to limit all of oui crisis. We were told to limit all of our activities and stay at home. This comes at the World Health Organization says the pandemic is accelerating across the globe. Hospitals everywhere are facing a shortage of equipment, including ventilators. This life saving equipment helps patients to breathe in the most critical cases when their lung function fails. The uk currently has around 8000 ventilators in the country but needs many more. So, how do we urgently get a ccess many more. So, how do we urgently get access to more of these machines . Can we manufacture more of them in this country is make we have been looking at some of the possible solutions. Uk government has put a caller to big businesses to help manufacture new ventilators. Already dyson have answered saying they are hoping to start production on 10,000 machines by mid april. But will this be enough soon enough . Teams of engineers and doctors are also trying to come up with more Immediate Solutions to this problem which could be cheaper and more portable. We spoke to some of them this week. Most are committed to making their designs open source and freely available once they have been tested. These machines need to work 24 tested. These machines need to work 2a hours a day for up to 1a days at a time per patient. Set to respirator 15. A time per patient. Set to respirator 15. 18 from the university of oxford in kings couege university of oxford in Kings College london have quickly designed what they think of the workable ventilator which could go into production right away called oxvent. It was presented to the uk cabinet and made two special over 19 regulations that the government published. Inside the box is a standard ambulance bag, these are normally compressed by hand to provide air but in this case we compress it using the pressure from out compress it using the pressure from ourairsupply. Compress it using the pressure from our air supply. The device is made from a0 components, 90 of which are off the shelf, meaning they are already in the nhs supply chain and theoretically easy to procure. Oxve nt theoretically easy to procure. Oxvent will now be tested in birmingham and may cost less than £1000 per machine, compared to tens of thousands of pounds for those in use in hospitals now. We want simple and that can be built, and sure i can make a ventilator as fancy as you like, but they will get it to you like, but they will get it to you in october if thats all right. That is not an option. In france, a collective have created what they call a minimal universal respirator. They are confident it can into the mess the action phase in the coming days at. They have already shown it to paris hospital. Is made of 3d printer components and has not yet been medically certified but they say that need to innovate quickly in a crisis. When you need to do tracheotomy, if you dont have the kit to do it, you use a pen. We are doing something that is almost similarto doing something that is almost similar to that. Doing something that is almost similarto that. 0k, doing something that is almost similar to that. 0k, it doing something that is almost similarto that. 0k, it is doing something that is almost similar to that. 0k, it is not a full fit respirator, but it may help save people, so we must try it. This attitude to try to iterate quickly is echoed in spain which has faced a rising death toll. This ventilator is also made from 3d printable parts. A group working out of this Technology Centre only started the design a week ago. They have already brought it to a hospital to try out. It is going through the final stages of medical testing and if successful will be ready to manufacture. It costs less than 500 euros to make and can be made in 2a hours. The groups they may have been approached by manufacturers ready to produce 50 100 by manufacturers ready to produce 50100 a by manufacturers ready to produce 50 100 a day once they receive approval. In lithuania, people are working on a simple 3d printable respiratory device that doesnt need electricity. It has been inspired by designs created in japan electricity. It has been inspired by designs created injapan stopping at the prototype succeeds wants to make it available to people in need. When we think about third world countries with huge populations, they are not advanced in the medical field, people will die due to a lack of equipment. We also saw a sophisticated solution which could be made quickly. In canada, these Battery Powered ventilators are used by the us military and the company has been asked to ramp up production. Portable intensive care device is Battery Powered and generates its own oxygen from the air. They are already fda approved and the designer believes they have the expertise to make them quickly. If everybody puts the pedal to the metal and puts full speed, i think this could be wrapped up in very large numbers pretty quickly. This could be wrapped up in very large numbers pretty quicklym certainly inspiring to see how engineers around the world are coming together to on this problem in the face of many challenges, by getting out cheaper, Faster Solutions could be critical for people everywhere where ventilators are scarce. That was jen, and lets hope that technology really can be used as a force for good in this crisis and those machines get to the people who need them. Now, with about a third of the global population currently under some kind of lockdown, we are increasingly turning to technology to stay connected, and chris fox has been looking at some ways to recreate that social feeling at a distance. Like millions of us across the world, ive spent the last week self isolating and staying at home. Luckily, ive been social distancing for about 20 years, so ive learned a thing or two about staying social without leaving the house. Video calls are suddenly all the rage, and this week, instagram added a new feature called co watching that lets you show up your favourite photos during an Instagram Video call. For a video chat with a difference, check out house party. It has been lingering at the top of the charts all week. Instead of calling a friend, you notify them when you are free for a chat and up to eight friends can drop into the same party. Its owned by fortnite maker epic games. Boardgame arena lets you choose from a range of modern gains and some classics like chess and backgammon to play either against your friends chess and backgammon to play either against yourfriends or chess and backgammon to play either against your friends or against internet strangers if you prefer stopping most of the games are free to play although the website is so busy at the moment and it is given priority access to premium subscribers at peak times. If you prefer subscribers at peak times. If you p refer to subscribers at peak times. If you prefer to play your own board games, some of the video calling apps including zoom and skype lets you start a call on your phone but invite your computer as a guest participant so you can video chat over here and use your phone as a camera to stream the gameboard. This is the only game ive gotten the flat to demonstrate with. Its a secret admirer boardgame where players have two work out who fancies them and call them on this phone. Is it matt . Hi, sorry. Its not me. Oh, its not matt 0h, phone. Is it matt . Hi, sorry. Its not me. Oh, its not matt oh, no bad luck, spencer being an isolation doesnt need to put your dating life on hold. Im trying a new app called filter. It was originally designed to beat catfishers, fake profiles because instead of just catfishers, fake profiles because instead ofjust swiping yes and no one people to try to find matches with people you think are hot, instead you are matched with a set number of people to do speed that video calls on an evening, so you tell the app when you are free and then you are matched with people and my first chat will be with that, founder of the app, and they dont even get to see his picture, just a few facts for conversation starters. Counting down now. Your date begins inafew counting down now. Your date begins in a few seconds, this is actually very tense hey, chris. Hey, zach hows it going ive actually brought you to one of my favourite dining spots, its my kitchen. Thank you for that. So why did you want to create filter off . Ive created filter off to give people an easy way to see if they vibe with one another and way to see if they vibe with one anotherandl way to see if they vibe with one another and i think the best way of doing that is true video. Could potentially be more brutal that you have actually spoken to someone and they dont match with you . That is they dont match with you . That is the risk, but you could also show up ona the risk, but you could also show up on a date and then you never get texted. You cant use the excuse that youre busy because they know you are an isolation. If your online date goes well and you get as far as netflix and jill then check out netflix and jill then check out netflix party. It is a plug in that synchronises programmes with your friends so you are all watching the same part at the same time. It is free and it even as a chat window so you can share messages. We often think of Virtual Reality as a solitary experience but there are a growing number of ants to play online like this zombie shooter. The strangest thing for me is how you really do feel like your friend is in the room with you. It is a totally different experience from a video call. Hey and are fighting off zombie horde to close to the bone right now, try wreck room which is cross bone right now, try wreck room which is cioss programme bone right now, try wreck room which is Cross Programme and free. You can even interact with strangers in a way that makes you feel connected to the well. Perhaps when we come out of isolation we will have made some new friends along the way. Hello, and welcome to the week and tech. It was the day a you over 19 Symptom Tracker was launched a Kings College london and help start up to help anyone share their data with the nhs. And, kids gaming giant mine craft is offering educational lessons to children for free with the pandemic, complete with tours of the pandemic, complete with tours of the International Space station. And morgan is for parents, disney plus launched across most of europe, albeit with reduced picture quality. The platform follows netflix, youtube, facebook and others using 2596 youtube, facebook and others using 25 lower bandwidth as traffic peak. People should avoid using the microwave at the same time as their wifi, microwave at the same time as their wi fi, other include enabling wi fi calling on your smart phone and downloading films in advance to reduce reliance on streaming. And finally, an oscar winning composer has come up with a new musical composition. But she is not the one performing at. Her latest piece is being performed by a robotic musician as part of an Art Exhibition in zurich. The robot arm was programmed by a swiss firm. Rollover, beethoven. Our lives have changed dramatically, novel problems needing novel solutions. Across the globe, Healthcare Systems flat out. The coronavirus is proving an unprecedented challenge for us humans. But we are starting to see how robots could help us out. Hey, what is the weather in london today . Here is the weather in london, united kingdom. We met temmy a few years back, and more normal times. We talked about the weather and had a cup of tea. But now temmy is on the front line of this crisis. Thousands of the devices have been interacting with contagious hospital patients in china, hong kong, japan and korea, as well as some care homes and the us. The box autonomously move between patients, providing remote video chat with doctors and nurses, even taking the temperature from up to 60 centimetres away. The ai embedded voice activated device can run emmas on alexa as well as other voice forms as well as in sent in china. They are so advanced and power that enable us to do a lot of very, very complex calculations, in order to bring data from multiple sources and real time so the robot can underand how sources and real time so the robot can under and how the environment looks like, how the user looks like, and specifically for the corona situation, this is what you need. Naturally the right regulatory issues as to how to implement this kind of technology around the world and of course a robot is never going to replace human interaction. Right now, we need all the help we can get. Help is also at hand from this robotic arm, designed by researchers at chinas university. The device treats patients on behalf of medical staff as well. It can be controlled remotely from anywhere in the world. It can perform ultrasounds, swabs and listen to all goods without the need of a stethoscope stop robots do not have to be high tech to be handy. Lego has been built to create automated disinfectant spray box. Detecting any approaching hand and triggering the sanitising spray bottle. The idea is a reminder of the importance of regular hand washing during the pandemic. Some of these ideas are clearly more impactful than others. But it is a United Global approach to deal with what is a global problem. That was la ra what is a global problem. That was lara and robots are not the only machines and listed in the fight against covid 19. The battle against the coronavirus has also gone airborne as Danny Vincent reports from hong kong. Governments around the world have been experimenting on how to incorporate drones to mitigate against the coronavirus. During the outbreak in china, the government deployed drones to want people off the street, sometimes by following them all the way home. Chinese companies are the World Leaders in Drone Technology but their use in this pandemic has gone worldwide and it has raised questions about previously and state surveillance. In hong kong, the government encourages us surveillance. In hong kong, the government encourages us to work from home and i conducted these interviews from home as a self isolated. The local government in south korea has been working with a Drain Company to disinfect a city half an hour outside the capital. South korea has been praised for its response to covid 19. They have adapted drones used in agriculture to spread disinfectant from the sky. They call it drone quarantine. Translation drones can be effective and precise in areas where humans cannot easily reach because they can spread disinfectant from a height where humans are not able to reach. Drones are also most suitable for disinfecting things like trees. And because it can spray from two three litres a minute it is very deep. These drones were developed originally for the use in agriculture. They have altered paul nozzles that seep underneath notice. Multiple nozzles. Its camera allows to transmit data back to the pilot. Here, they say they can disinfect an area ten times faster with drones than with people. With the progresses in digital intelligence, it is just a matter of time some believe before we see automated grant helping with everyday life but it is notjust dgi using drones to disinfect. In mainland china, other Training Companies employ drones to disinfect urban areas. Ex ag are 80 agriculture robot is also deployed on the ground and can spray disinfectant at 360 degrees and is controlled by a wireless transmitter. In south korea, the city plans to wider deployed drone quarantine. This may social distancing 2. 0. We will be checking in with danny for a regular stories from asia over the coming mum stop now, when this is all over, it is ha rd now, when this is all over, it is hard not to think that some things just will not go back to the way they were at one of those things might be business conferences. Last week, it was supposed to be taiwan massive conference but when this could not happen, they went ahead with it anyway into Virtual Reality. Stephen beckett was invited and this is how it went. Virtual reality has had a rough ride over the last few yea rs had a rough ride over the last few years with plenty of excitement and a definite dollop of disappointment but maybe now is the time to give it another chance. And it help us meaningfully connect or is itjust a glorified video call. Like a lot of people right now, i am stuck at home but it does not mean i can go somewhere. But it does not mean i can go somewhere. Cannot. But it does not mean i can go somewhere. Cannot. Certainly not with one of these around. This is great. We can shake hands in vr. We cannot do it in real life but we can do it in the virtual world. Many organisations have been looking at vr asa organisations have been looking at vr as a host of global conferences have been cancelled due to covid 19. Im standing aside a preview of engage, you so far for education, im standing aside a preview of engage, you so farfor education, it is now being suit up to host a conference for hundreds of people stop hdc is one of the main heads in manufacturers and they made the one i made now. If any company can take their conference virtual, it is them. Where are we . This is the main venue for the presentation, the virtual vibe conference. We have a conference virtual vibe conference. We have a co nfe re nce every virtual vibe conference. We have a conference every year and because of the coronavirus we had to do it differently this year. Everybody came toa differently this year. Everybody came to a virtual venue. Some people will look at this and say this is a glorified video call. When you are doing videoconferences and you feel safe looking at a screen, im going to do something really weird, get right up close to you. Now, can you do this on a video . Does that feel awkward . It do this on a video . Does that feel awkward . It feels do this on a video . Does that feel awkward . It feels intimidating. Exactly. The thing with video, it is fantastic and you can communicate but inside Virtual Reality, you feel like you are in the room with the person. Beyond more natural human connections, being in vr you can do and see things you might not be able to do in the real world. You can move the chicken. Its not every conference you can hold a chicken. Full may say it has not taken off in the way people thought it would . Full may say it has not taken off in the way people thought it would . I change in people s habits is outweighing the benefits for the average. This is where it changes going forward. This conference is happening in the middle of the night for me so after a quick game of basketball, i am off to get some sleep. It is 2am, i am up. It is well past my bedtime but it is also a perfect time for a conference on the other side of the world so im just going to get a few vr things set up an event i am going to hopefullyjoin for the opening speech. Lets see if it works. It better work. Here we all. Look, elvin is here. It is starting. Everyone is looking at me. Should i sit down. You cannot applaud in a video got like you can in the virtual world. You can see the start ofa virtual world. You can see the start of a really good idea. I can imagine what that will be like if the headsets were lighter and easier to use and the computers were a bit stronger and the graphics a bit better. Give it a few years and i cannot imagine this is something people would not want to do. Next week, unbelievably, in the middle of all what is going on, it is our 20th birthday. I know. And so were going to bring something that hopefully will take your mind off things. A bus back to the past and look at our greatest hits cynthia 2000. I wish you well. Be safe stop and we will see you next week. Hello. Friday finished on a glorious note across the greater part of england and wales, but throughout the past week its been a different story for many parts of scotland and Northern Ireland thanks to the cloud and some rain associated with that weather front, which through the weekend will show signs of wanting to move further down across the british isles, and it introduces a much colder regime to many parts as we move on into sunday and indeed into the start of next week. So its a fairly cool start to the weekend, but a lot of dry weather, much more in the way of cloud across england and wales than you will have been used to through this week thus far. And itll have enough about it to be producing just one or two showers, running in on a noticeable north to north easterly wind. The last of the relative warmth still to be found across the southern counties of england and maybe the western side of wales, too. Dont forget, as we move from saturday to sunday, the clocks spring forward by that hour to introduce the notion of british summertime, but sunday itself will feel anything but a summery. Itll be a cold day, despite the presence of some sunshine, still a lot of cloud, still a lot of dry weather. These are the gusts on the day. Widely, you can see 30 miles an hour plus. By the end of the day somebody could well be looking at a0 if not 50 miles an hour in exposed locations. Those temperatures, as a consequence, given the strength and direction of the winds, will feel very much more like that. A return to january, a return to winter, rather than anything springlike or even summerlike. The High Pressure is still the dominant feature, as we start the new week. Its there, anchored to the western side of the british isles, still feeding in a fair amount of cloud, still a lot of dry weather. Just one or two showers, wintry across the higher ground. The wind still quite noticeable, especially off that cool north sea. The eastern facing coast, six or seven or eight or nine degrees, something of that order. Not much warmerfurther towards the west. I suppose the noticeable difference as we move from monday to tuesday is that those isobars are just beginning to open up. So again, we start probably with quite a widespread frost on tuesday morning, still a lot of dry weather, the wind at its most noticeable in the north of scotland, one or two blustery showers here and quite a keen wind perhaps through the channel coast. But in between, the wind is nowhere near as strong as it will have been through the course of the weekend. And as a consequence it mayjust begin to feel a little warmer. This is bbc news, broadcasting to audiences in the uk and around the world, im james reynolds. Well be covering all the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic, both here in britain and across the globe, where the total number of confirmed cases has now passed half a million. In the united states, more than 100,000 people now have the virus, thats more than any other country in the world. President trump has signed into law a 2 trillion emergency spending package to relieve the impact of the coronavirus on the us economy. Nick bryant reports now from new york state,