Four Dubai Startups Providing Solutions Catered To Tackling The Coronavirus Pandemic A look at the startups under the umbrella of startup incubator in5 that have been bringing forth innovations to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people in the UAE amid efforts to curb COVID-19.

There have been several instances of startups around the globe that are coming out with products and solutions to help combat the coronavirus pandemic, and this has been true of the entrepreneurial community in the UAE as well. In Dubai, startups under the umbrella of the startup incubator in5 have been bringing forth innovations to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people in the UAE amid ongoing efforts to curb COVID-19- here are four of them:

1. 3Dinova Billed as "the first online 3D design and printing platform in the Middle East," 3Dinova, founded by Ruba Al Nashash, has been using its technology to 3D print facemasks for doctors and nurses working to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is also manufacturing 3D printed door handles that people can use their elbows to open, which helps limit the possibility of infection via contact with a contaminated surface. Al Nashash is also in the process of expanding her output of 3D printed personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline medical workers, with prototypes currently being produced.

2. Liber Health A blockchain and biometrics-powered patient identification platform based in Dubai Internet City, Liber Health has created a contactless IRIS identification technology to recognize patient data, which has been billed as being safer than other biometric identification systems like fingerprint scanners, which are more likely to spread pathogens. Given that its solution is compatible with and scalable to every electronic medical record system and healthcare application in the world, the startup has said that it is currently in talks with major public and private sector entities that have expressed an interest in its patent-pending technology.

3. Munfarid Dr. Sana Farid, founder and CEO of the consulting firm Munfarid, is taking immersive education to the next level with augmented reality and artificial intelligence. She intends to offer an experiential training platform for teachers to host classes with students who can interact with the platform in myriad ways, an initiative that will support talent and reaffirm Dubai's status as a knowledge hub. The platform could also help train healthcare workers with immersive technology that allows medical professionals to visualize hospitals and patient wards before they are established.

4. Junkbot Hardware technology firm Junkbot recently launched the Fight Corona Robotic Championship, which, besides encouraging children to build imaginative robots that can help the UAE combat the COVID-19 pandemic, will also be offering winners with AED5,000 in prize money. "Children are just as affected by the current stay-at-home situation as their parents are, and our initiative will help them during this time," said Ehtesham Puthur, CEO, Junkbot. "The Fight Corona Robotic Championship spreads coronavirus awareness and encourages kids to become the superheroes we need."

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