(AFP): Singapore is trying a new way to remind citizens of the importance of social distancing in a bid to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus.
In this regard, Singaporean authorities have deployed a robot ‘dog’ to ensure people do their best to stay away from each other.
The country’s government today (announced) that it would deploy Spot, Boston Dynamics’ yellow and black canine robot at a local park.
The four-legged robot “dog” will patrol the area and broadcast a pre-recorded message to visitors to remind them of the importance of social distancing.
The robot is fitted with cameras that will scan the surroundings and help officials to estimate the number of people gathering in parks.
However, the Singaporean authorities said, “These cameras will not be able to track and/or recognize specific individuals, and no personal data will be collected.”
The new measure is an experiment to improve enforcement of social distancing throughout Singapore as it contends with an alarming recent spike in cases.
The pilot project is currently set to run in a limited trial for two weeks at one park during off-peak hours. If it becomes a success, authorities may consider expanding the programme.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, Singapore’s coronavirus cases shot up from 266 to 21,707 cases since March 17.
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