Biz Stream S2020E13 - Pandemic Pushes Small Factories to the Brink

[On-Site Report] Japan's manufacturing industry relies on small factories located across the country to keep it churning. With sales stagnant and no sign of demand picking up, the coronavirus has taken a heavy toll on many of these small manufacturers over the last 3 months. This episode focuses on how a regional bank and an IT company have set out to support these local businesses during the ongoing crisis. [World Perspective] Medical workers treating coronavirus patients are doing everything they can to avoid becoming infected. In Thailand, a robotics team stepped in to help. It made a robot that allows doctors to remotely take patients' temperatures and examine their throats. Another robot delivers meals to patients. The robots reduce contact between patients and medical workers, as well as the need for personal protective equipment. We look at how technology from Thailand could reduce the burden at hospitals worldwide.