Robots deployed to greet and clean at Japan hotel for Covid-19 patients
Pepper wore a surgical mask and greeted guests while Whiz carried out sanitising duties.
Robot staff are operating at a Tokyo hotel used for mildly sick Covid-19s patients under a new plan to free up beds at hospitals overburdened with more severe cases.
Pepper, a talking robot, greeted new guests at the lobby, while Whiz, a cleaning robot, operates in areas where patients pick up meals and other daily necessities to reduce infection risks for human staff.
Pepper, wearing a white surgical mask, greeted Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike as she walked into the hotel during Friday’s demonstration.
Pepper also reminds patients to check their temperature and rest well.
The robots, made by SoftBank Robotics, will be deployed at other hotels rented by Tokyo’s government for patients with no or mild symptoms.
So far, Tokyo has secured five hotels with 1,500 to 2,800 rooms.
Japan has 14,281 confirmed cases and 432 deaths, according to the health ministry tally.
