Robot workers debuted at a hotel in Tokyo used for mildly ill coronavirus patients according to a new plan to release beds in hospitals overloaded with more severe cases. 1Pepper, a talking robot, greets new guests in the lobby, while Whiz, a cleaning robot, operates in areas where patients collect meals and other daily necessities to reduce the risk of infection to human staff.
1Pepper, wearing a white surgical mask, greeted Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike as she walked into the hotel during Friday’s demonstration. Peper also reminds patients to monitor their temperature and rest well. Guests also have access to health management applications on computers and tablets to record their temperatures and symptoms.
The robots, made by SoftBank Robotics, will also be deployed at other hotels rented by the Tokyo metropolitan government for patients with no or mild symptoms. So far, Tokyo has secured five hotels and aims to increase the number of rooms from the current 1,500 to 2,800. The hotels are also staffed by doctors and nurses, but officials hope the robots can provide an otherwise lonely time for guests who are isolated in single rooms over a week’s stay. Japan has 14,281 confirmed cases, with 432 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.
