Professor James McLaughlin, Director of Ulster University’s Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC) sits on the NI Expert Advisory group and leads the team at Ulster. Ulster’s team brings together expertise from the schools of Computing and Engineering and includes leading app Designer Dr Liam Burns, User Experience expert Dr Raymond Bond and RF expert Dr Adnan Cheema.
Ulster’s role in the advisory group includes validating the app for use in Northern Ireland and performing studies in User Experience and RF Bluetooth Attenuation tests.
Professor Jim McLaughlin commented:
“We are delighted to work together with the Department for Health on the StopCOVID NI app initiative which will play a key role in Northern Ireland’s COVID-19 recovery. At Ulster University we are committed to using our world-leading expertise in data analytics, diagnostics and software development to support the global fight against COVID-19.
“Using our team of experts within the Schools of Engineering and Computing, in areas such as Healthcare Technology, Medical App Design and RF Communications during the COVID-19 pandemic, is a great example of the role research currently plays in such a crisis and how it will develop as we now plan our new Belfast City Deal Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology.
“We have long taken the view that de-centralised app systems, like the system used in our XPRIZE Tricorder success, is key to managing health information, rapidly, accurately and at point-of-need. This app certainly is a great example of simplicity at work with the high possibility of reducing the spread of COVID-19 and thus helping manage a core part of our everyday life until final exit strategy.”
The StopCOVID NI Mobile App can be downloaded via the official HSC website: https://covid-19.hscni.net/stop-covid-ni-mobile-app/