Technology Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries: Role of Telepresence Robots in Healthcare

Abstract

Developing countries represent about three-quarters of the world's population and have become the main driver for the global population and economic growth. Technology entrepreneurship plays an important role in sustainable development of vulnerable social groups and element. These efforts can channel technological benefits to underdeveloped regions. We discuss technology entrepreneurship in developing countries, with a focus on mobile health (mHealth) and telepresence robots. Specifically, we discuss how mHealth can help aged and disadvantaged developing country populations cope with normal life difficulties and challenges—but also in the extreme case and threat of a pandemic. Using past practices and lessons in telepresence robots, we propose FLEXTRA, a flexible robot mechanism to support instant video calls, smart medicine dispensation, and remote control. We also illustrate the applications of FLEXTRA in healthcare, e.g., fighting against COVID-19.