It鈥檚 a sign of the times. Island-based Rowing sa国际传媒 is utilizing cutting-edge viral-detection technology in a pilot project to protect against COVID-19 as it prepares its athletes for the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
The Kontrol BioCloud technology, trademarked Space Safe Technology by the Canadian company, is designed as a 鈥渞eal-time鈥� analyzer to detect airborne pathogens, such as COVID-19. The system is being installed and tested in the ERG Dome and medical treatment centre, both located at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence on the Camosun College Interurban campus.
Tricia McBride, lead physiotherapist for Rowing sa国际传媒, described it as 鈥渁dding another critical layer of safety and confidence to our existing COVID protocols.鈥�
鈥淭his technology will allow our athletes to focus on their training without worrying about the air they are breathing,鈥� added McBride.
Training on Elk Lake, which the national team has been conducting in small-group boats, is not an issue because the shed droplets dissipate much quicker outdoors. Training on indoor rowing machines occurs in the ERG Dome at PISE, which is a hard, sprung structure. That鈥檚 where the new technology is being installed. Its designers say the applications could be wide-ranging in hospitals, offices, classrooms, retirement homes and public transportation. They say its 鈥渞eal-time鈥� analyzer detects airborne viruses by sampling the air quality with a proprietary detection chamber that can be replaced as needed. An alert system is created in the Cloud or over local intranet and will signal if viruses are detected.
鈥淲e developed BioCloud to help us get back to normal across all sectors of the economy, including athletics and sports,鈥� said Kontrol CEO Paul Ghezzi, in a statement.
鈥淲e are delighted to operate this pilot with Rowing sa国际传媒.鈥�
Rowing sa国际传媒 is looking to rebound at Tokyo from its single silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Rowing has produced the second-most Summer Olympics gold medals for sa国际传媒 with nine, behind only track and field鈥檚 14, and the third-most overall medals with 41 behind track and field鈥檚 60 and swimming鈥檚 49. Most of those medallists have come out of Elk Lake, where Rowing sa国际传媒 has been based since the 1970s. The national training centre, however, is moving to Quamichan Lake in North Cowichan following the Tokyo Olympics.
This is the second trial involving new technology being used by Island athletes in response to COVID. The Victoria Royals are among eight Western Hockey League teams using the world鈥檚 first diagnostic artificial intelligence app created to detect the virus. The diagnostic test is non-invasive. Players download the app to their smartphones and follow the directions that enable the phone鈥檚 camera to take a picture of their oral cavity. The image is automatically uploaded to Vancouver-based company Light AI鈥檚 cloud-based server, where an artificial intelligence algorithm analyzes it for signs of COVID-19. Results are sent back to the players almost immediately. A negative test is 98.6 per cent accurate, said Peter Whitehead, founder and CEO of Light AI.
鈥淚t鈥檚 cool to be part of this [trial],鈥� said Royals captain Tarun Fizer. 鈥淚t鈥檚 next-level stuff. Who knows where technology will take us to.鈥�
