5 Mobile Apps for Maintaining Social Distancing During COVID-19 Pandemic

The number of cases of Coronavirus is constantly on the rise & the recent guidelines from the government for unlock 2 will allow for more movement of people. India have already entered the second stage of unlocking but the cases of COVID-19 are on steady rise in many Indian states.

Therefore it becomes more crucial to follow rules & regulations for our own safety. Covering mouth & nose with masks, maintain social distancing, follow restrictions such as curfew timings is the least we all should do to safeguard ourselves.

Modern technology can play an important part in our war with Coronavirus. With the enormous expansion of mobile technology, majority of the people around the world have a mobile phone that they use extensively on daily basis. There are some mobile applications that are introduced by big companies like google that can help in maintaining social distancing even in crowded places.

Below mentioned are some apps that can be downloaded in mobiles & will help in maintaining social distancing:

1. Sodar by Google:

This social distancing app is launched by google for android. It creates 2 meter radius ring of augmented reality around the user to follow social distancing guidelines. Sodar by Google uses WebXR on Chrome to use smartphone cameras to create a virtual circle around the user with a radius equal to the recommended distance of 6.5 feet.

2. Aarogya Setu:

Developed by National Informatics Centre under the Government of India, AarogyaSetu is designed to prevent the spread of Coronavirus pandemic in India. It informs you if you crossed paths with any infected person. Through Bluetooth and Location generated social graph, it tracks an individual's interactionwith a COVID-19 positive suspect by monitoring the proximity of your mobile to another mobile. If even accidently you came near to someone who tests positive, it alerts you.

3. DROR:

It is developed by a Gurugram-based eponymous startup, it is available on both Android and iOS.It is a social distancing app that works as a personal safety assistance platform. All Users can get a daily, weekly or fortnightly report of their social distancing practices. The app provides 24x7 emergency helpline, family trip tracking option, roadside assistance service, ambulance services, among others. It has an amazing "Track My Trip" feature that tracks the activity of the user between two places marked in the app. DROR immediately alerts users when they come within less than two feet of other people. It also assigns users a social distancing score with the help of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

4. 1point5:

It is developed by the United Nations Technology Innovation Labs, 1point5 application scans nearby mobile devices and warns when a device enters a perimeter of 1.5 meters around your device. The device vibrates to alert using Bluetooth RSSI signal if this boundary is breached by someone. The open-source app available on both Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. The app lets users adjust the distance between 1.5 metre and 2.5 metres. The app does not collect any personally identifiable information of any user.

5. WaitQ:

This app is developed by experts from various fields under Vorfreude Community, it enables users to maintain social distancing outside their homes at pharmacies, parks, salons, malls, petrol pumps, public transport, etc. Every user can get real-time data on how crowded a particular area is. Although, WaitQonly works if all stores and public places must have a QR generated. The app users will need to scan the QR code each time they visit any particular place and click on “I am done” while coming out of the store.