Different unique measures to prevent COVID-19 is being undertaken with coronavirus pandemic still highly prevalent, taking the lives of thousands of people in the world. However, one of the most high-tech measures taken has to the robots used to remind people about social distancing and staying at home. Singapore is sending out a patrolling robot called Spot to help with the execution of social distancing measures. The robot can almost be mistaken like a four-legged creature due to its design. It will be the people in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park of Singapore about social distancing and other safety measures during the pandemic. It will be checking on people ar the parks, gardens and nature reserves managed by National Parks Board (NParks) and at parks managed by town councils, says The Straits Times. Chhattisgarh Student Designs Robot to Help Doctors in COVID-19 Treatment, Urges Govt to Provide Funds to Make Robots. 

Viral videos of Spot, the patrolling robot have taken over the internet where people can be seen going away from it. Spot will be giving away recorded message to the people in the parks about COVID-19 safety measures, reminding them to stay away from each other.  This trial is said to be jointly conducted by NParks, and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG). According to TST, Spot has been fitted with cameras that is enabled by GovTech-developed video analytics, to help it estimate the number of visitors in the parks. It was also mentioned that these cameras "will not be able to track or recognise specific individuals, neither will it collect any personal data." Robots Can Help Combat COVID-19 Pandemic: Researchers.

A video of this unique robot was shared on social media with a caption that read, "One of the creepiest and most dystopian things I've seen since the pandemic began: a terrifying camera-equipped remote-controlled robot patrols Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in Singapore to -- for now -- warn about social distancing. Look at the fear." Check out the video:

The deployment of Spot has been done for a two-week trial over a 3km stretch in the River Plains section of the park during off-peak hours and will currently at least one NParks officer will also be there alongside the patrolling robot.  Other parks such as Jurong Lake Gardens may soon have such robots too to help curb the problem of people gathering around amid pandemic. The patrolling robot is said to be originally developed by American company Boston Dynamics. Due to its sensors, it can navigate obstacles and works with different terrains. There are plans to deploy similar robots at Pandan and MacRitchie reservoirs.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 09, 2020 08:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).