Singapore uses doglike robot to supervise social distancing observance
A yellow robot dog called Spot which found fame online for dancing to hit song "Uptown Funk" has been deployed to patrol a Singapore park to supervise people’s observance of social distancing rules.
Boston Dynamics’ robot dog. Boston Dynamics/YouTubeSingapore (VNA) - A yellow robot dog called Spot which found fame online for dancing to hit song "Uptown Funk" has been deployed to patrol a Singapore park to supervise people’s observance of social distancing rules.
The hi-tech hound is remote-controlled and can clamber easily over all types of terrain, which means it can go where wheeled robots cannot.
Spot uses cameras to estimate the number of visitors to the park and blasts out a message to ensure joggers and walkers keep their distance to limit the spread of the coronavirus: "For your own safety and for those around you, please stand at least one metre apart. Thank you."
Spot, which is being trialled over a three-kilometre (1.8 mile) stretch of the park, also has sensors to ensure it does not bump into people.
Developed by US company Boston Dynamics, Spot is best known for a video where the robot showed off its moves by bopping to Mark Ronson hit "Uptown Funk". The video has been viewed over 6.8 million times on YouTube.
The use of the robot has been widely welcomed. Some others had misgivings, however.
Singapore authorities have played down privacy concerns, saying Spot's cameras cannot track or recognise specific individuals and no personal data will be collected.
The city-state has reported over 29,000 virus cases, mostly among migrant workers living in dormitories, and 22 deaths./.
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