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In Kerala, robots spreading awareness on Coronavirus pandemic

Reuters
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, IndiaUpdated: Mar 13, 2020, 01:29 PM IST
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Robots distributing masks, sanitizer, napkins, giving information about coronavirus. Photograph:(Reuters)

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The start-up is trying to put the robots into use at public places like airports and malls and have sought permission from authorities.

A start-up firm in India's southern Kerala state has launched two robots to spread awareness about the fast-spreading coronavirus that has killed more than 4,000 people worldwide.

More than 134,500 people have been infected globally and over 4,900 have died, according to a Reuters tally of government announcements.

The robots, developed by Asimov Robotics, can be seen distributing face masks and sanitizers, giving information about the contagion and cleaning doors at a start-up complex in Kochi city.

"They are actually crowd-pullers. So people will gather around the robot and we can very effectively communicate this to the public," said Jayakrishnan T, the brains behind the robots.

The start-up is trying to put the robots into use at public places like airports and malls and have sought permission from authorities.

With just 74 confirmed cases of the virus and a single death, India, a country of 1.3 billion people, has so far fared better than elsewhere in Asia, Europe and North America.