Healthcare and Innovations from Taiwan Goes Digital

(From L-F)  Ray Yang, Intl Sales Manager, Mediland Enterprise Corp ; Miron Wang, CEO, Foresee-X ; Dr.Ted Chang, CTO, Quanta Computer ; Ms.Leonor F.M. Lin, President & CEO of TAITRA;  Adam Horng, Vice President,Faspro Systems Co., Ltd ; CP Chuang, COO, Crystalvue ;  David Hung, Asst.Manager, IEI Integration Corp

 

In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis that has brought unimaginable disruptions 

in the healthcare industry worldwide, Taiwan Excellence, a national award in Taiwan with 28 

years of history, introduces the Smart Medical Express

 

Under Smart Medical Express, product launches are conducted with the aim of enhancing cooperation within the international community while highlighting Taiwan’s digital healthcare and innovations. Activities included 5 online presentations that focused on technological advancements and innovations in surgical equipment, ophthalmology, assistive devices, dentistry, and innovative healthcare products, all aimed at capturing the attention of international healthcare professionals.

 

Ms. Leonor F.M. Lin, President & CEO of TAITRA, delivered the opening remarks.

More than 300 medical practitioners from various medical institutions and colleges, and healthcare industries in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, including the media from these countries, participated in the recent event entitled “Taiwan - ASEAN Medical Device and Innovation Forum” which showcased the latest medical technologies from Taiwan.

 

The forum with a theme anchored on innovations invited Faspro Systems Co., Ltd., Taiwan Main Orthopaedic Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Crystalvue Medical Corp., Mediland Enterprise Corp., IEI Integration Corp., and other medical manufacturers to present their new products. Furthermore, a leading digital healthcare enterprise in Taiwan, Quanta Computer Inc., gave the keynote speech and discussed Taiwan's digital healthcare transformation.

 

Globally, healthcare is considered the sector that is most at danger and at risk being the first line of defense when facing a large-scale pandemic. Taiwan is empowering its strong ICT industry to help medical institutions with regard to planning and executing their digital transformations. The country creates more opportunities for partnerships between medical institutions around the world by sharing experiences in software and hardware integration, Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation, and establishment of cloud databases,

 

The presentations during the event included innovations in medical materials and equipment. The Faspro Surgical Video Camera (Fasmedo FM-100) offers a solution for medical imaging and recording. Taiwan Main Orthopaedic Biotechnology Co., Ltd., meanwhile, developed the Foresee-X Smart Surgical Glasses Solution, the first device in the world to apply augmented reality technology to surgery. The Non-Mydriatic Auto Fundus Camera, on the other hand, developed by Crystalvue Medical Corp., uses automatic retina tracking to quickly diagnose the eyes of patients. Mediland Enterprise Corp.’s product, the Hyper Light Disinfection Robot, uses the Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) sterilization method to neutralize pathogens in hospitals and reduce contact infections between patients and medical personnel. Finally, the Body Temperature Monitoring Solution, developed by IEI Integration Corp., incorporates a facial recognition system to quickly detect the temperature of multiple persons via their foreheads.

 

Using advancements in technology, these companies were lauded for creating new applications for the medical field, thus providing better services to patients.

 

Application of new technologies, such as AI, 3D printing, augmented reality (AR), and automatic detection in the healthcare sector have allowed for the creation of new and technologically advanced medical products. COVID-19 has made people realize the importance of transforming healthcare and as such, Taiwan Excellence will continue to introduce new healthcare innovations and share more healthcare products with global buyers.

 

For more information, visit the Taiwan Excellence digital healthcare pavilion at (www.taiwanexcellence.org/tw/digital_pavilion).

 

5 Ways AI Is Building A Better, Brighter Future For Asia

All across Asia, a hotly-debated topic amongst business leaders, government policymakers, academics and industry experts is the potential impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have on society.

Understandably, some take a cautious view when it comes to AI development, sometimes painting a grim, dystopic future where large swathes of the population are rendered jobless, access to AI is not evenly distributed amongst citizens, and privacy and civil liberties are increasingly under threat from AI’s insatiable need for data.

There is no denying that AI will present a new set of societal challenges that will need to be navigated thoughtfully and carefully and, in particular, it will be critical for all organizations to build trust in AI amongst their customers and stakeholders.

However, these concerns should not overshadow the enormous potential that AI offers society.

Here are five key areas where AI has created remarkable developments and improvements in Asia.

1.      Accessibility

Asia-Pacific is currently home to 690 million people with disabilities. AI can help people with vision, hearing, cognitive, learning, and mobility disabilities perform daily tasks more independently, lead a richer, more productive life and participate more fully in society.

For example, Seeing AI is a free app that leverages AI capabilities to identify a broad range of visual cues - including faces, emotions and handwriting. That data is then converted into audio descriptions for the visually-impaired. This enables the 285 million people in the world with low vision to better navigate their day, making the visual world more accessible. 

2.      Agriculture

Today, Asia is the world’s most populous region with more than 4.5 billion inhabitants, approximately 60% of the global population, and this number is forecasted to grow to over 5 billion by 2030. This will put incredible strain on the region’s already-challenged food supply chains unless farmers can find new ways to keep up with demand, such as leveraging AI and analytics to greatly improve their yields.

In India, Microsoft has partnered with a non-profit organization, International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), to develop an AI Sowing App that sends advisories to farmers on the optimal date to sow their crops, based on weather conditions, soil, and other indicators.

The solution predicts the optimal sowing period by using AI to analyze 30 years of historic climate data and calculate the adequacy of rainfall and soil moisture using real-time data and weather forecasting models. In addition, the program does not require farmers to incur capital expenditure, such as installing sensors in their fields, making this optimal for emerging markets.

·         Insert Video for News Center: Microsoft and ICRISAT - Bringing Artificial Intelligence to agriculture to boost crop yield

3.      Climate Change

One of the most pressing challenges of the 21^st century is the changing climate, and how it threatens human health, infrastructure, and natural systems. A leading cause of climate change is carbon emissions.

Microsoft is embracing the responsibility to operate sustainably and reduce the environmental impact of its business. One of the ways it doe this is by enlisting AI's help to manage the operations and infrastructure of our data centers. As a result, less electricity is needed to fuel data centers’ computing and cooling requirements. In fact, cloud services are 93% more energy efficient and up to 98% more carbon efficient than traditional enterprise data centers.

AI technologies are also being applied beyond the data center to improve the energy efficiency of entire buildings. In Singapore, approximately one-third of the nation’s electricity is consumed by buildings. JTC, a government agency responsible for the developing the nation’s industrial infrastructure, is taking a proactive approach to address this voracious demand for electricity by centralizing its operations on the Microsoft Cloud to monitor, analyze and optimize its buildings. Using sensor data and AI-driven analytics, JTC can now identify and rectify faults before breakdowns occur through a predictive model, resulting in a 15 percent drop in energy cost avoidance.

·         Insert Video for News Center: How JTC is modeling what it means to make buildings more energy-efficient and sustainable

4.      Education

Education is one of the building blocks for creating a better future, and AI is being leveraged to enhance the education experience for students and improve outcomes in schools.

In Andhra Pradesh, a state in southern India, Microsoft is partnering with the government to launch a new app that predicts which students are most likely to drop out of school. Powered by machine learning, AI capabilities, and the cloud, this solution processes complex data sets that include enrolment information, student performance, gender and socio-economic demographics, school infrastructure, and teacher skills, to look for predictive patterns.

This enables administrators and educators to intervene early and target the most at-risk students with programs and counseling to prevent dropouts. The app is already being used successfully by more than 10,000 schools in Andhra Pradesh, covering more than five million students in 2017.

5.      Healthcare

Lastly, AI technology has the potential to assist healthcare providers in their quest to tackle some of the most prevalent diseases we face today, as well as improve the quality of life for Asia’s growing population.

In India, Microsoft is collaborating with one of the largest health organizations in the country, Apollo Hospitals, to develop an AI-focused network aimed at tackling cardiovascular disease, which contributes to nearly one-third of deaths worldwide. In India alone, nearly three million heart attacks happen annually, and it is estimated that 30 million Indians suffer from coronary disease. 

By bringing together Microsoft’s AI expertise and Apollo Hospitals’ experience and knowledge in the field of cardiology, this partnership aims to develop new machine learning models to predict patient risk for heart diseases and assists doctors with treatment plans.

·         Insert Video for News Center: Apollo Hospitals India: AI predicts heart diseases

These are just some of the amazing benefits that AI is bringing to society, though it’s clear that it is still in a nascent stage of its development. The story of AI is still unfolding, and future chapters will be supported by positive, impactful anecdotes. After all, with AI, we are not just amplifying human ingenuity, but the qualities that make us human: Our caring. Our curiosity. Our collective desire to create a better tomorrow.

#SwitchItUpChallenge Creator LAVAADO Teams Up with AC Bonifacio for Upcoming Sure Fire Hit

Taking the world by storm last year, Georgia-based artist Lavaado’s viral single Switch It Up has amassed more than 4 million streams on Spotify, with the music video having more than 7 million views on YouTube. Celebrities and content creators all over the world took to social media to join the #SwitchItUpChallenge with moves from Lavaado’s music video.

For his much-awaited follow up, Lavaado is teaming up with the Philippines’ very own AC Bonifacio, just fresh from very succesful first solo concert and 16^th birthday celebration – AC All About It at SM North EDSA Skydome last December. Lavaado reached out to AC about a collaboration during the Christmas holidays, and they worked out recording while AC was on vacation with her family in Canada.

In and Out – Lavaado’s newest track featuring AC Bonifacio comes out on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, and all digital stores worldwide this comingFebruary 8, 2019. Lavaado has been featured in ABS-CBN’s Rated K, and will be performing live in GMA’s Eat Bulaga! this coming February 23.

In and Out is distributed worldwide by Ivory Music & Video, and published under Another Frequency Productions from Chicago, Illinois.

Philippines x China: An Exchange of Art and Culture

Deng Jun, Country Head of Bank of China Manila (first from left), Celeste Diokno, Managing  Director of Bank of China Manila (first from right),  and Tina Colayco, President of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (second from right), flank Filipino artists (from L-R) Rico Lascano, Phyllis Zaballero, Norberto Carating, and Manuel Baldemor. Together with Jonahmar Salvosa (not in photo), they will be participating in an upcoming culture and art exchange program that seeks to generate awareness for environmental harmony.

Since 2002, Bank of China Manila has been working towards boosting bilateral cooperation in the economic, financial, and trade fields between China and the Philippines. From efforts like the SME Cross-Border Trade and Investment conference, where Filipino businesses were matched with Chinese investors, to the facilitation of two panda bond issuances, the bank has been steadfast in pursuing its mission of bridging the Philippine and Chinese markets.
 
That mission goes beyond business, as Bank of China Manila extends its efforts to bridging people. "Our two countries have been friends for a long time. We share many similarities, but we also share many differences. Through this exchange of cultures, we hope to enhance the understanding between the peoples of Philippines and China," said Mr. Deng Jun, Country Head of Bank of China Manila.

In partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (MET), the Chinese Culture and Art Association, and China Daily Mail, Bank of China is launching an international arts and cultural exchange program between China and the Philippines. The project brings together five Filipino artists and five Chinese artists to participate in a brief residency in historically and culturally significant locations that will juxtapose similarities and nuances of people, place, and nature. It will culminate in two group exhibitions in both countries with corresponding public programs.
 
A shared advocacy

In its aim to bridge cultures, Bank of China is endeavoring to unpack and highlight the similarities between the Philippines and China. For both countries, rapid growth has at times led observers to disregard the negative impact of economic activity on the environment. But environmental protection has now become a common goal for both nations to preserve their vast natural resources.

It is this kinship with the living environment that inspired the theme for the cultural exchange. Dubbed “In Harmony with Nature”, the program seeks to present the issue of climate change and mankind’s stewardship of the natural environment, from an artist's perspective.
 
This kind of advocacy is something Bank of China is no stranger to. "We care deeply about the environment, and that extends to our business as well. We implement a strict Green Financing policy where we only finance projects that do not damage the environment," said Mr. Deng.
 
An exchange of art and culture

For this project, ten renowned Filipino and Chinese artists have been chosen for the caliber of their work, the strength of their practice, and potential synergy with their counterparts. They are some of the most distinguished in their respective countries, and are able to convey complex non-art concepts through their artistic lenses.
 
First, the participants will undergo a brief residency in Palawan before returning to Manila to exhibit their work at the MET. This initial leg will be punctuated with a collaborative/interactive painting that will be held during the exhibit’s opening day. After the art exhibition in the Philippines, a counterpart art exhibition will be held in China. It will then be the Filipino artists’ turn to visit China for a similar residency and collaborative painting activity.
 
The participating artists from the Philippines are Manuel Baldemor, Rico Lascano, Phyllis Zaballero, Norberto Carating, and Jonahmar Salvosa. Their Chinese counterparts are Kuku Chai Bukuk, Cai Zhixin, Ding Jie, Hao Ping, and Liu She.