Coronavirus: Robot Dog on Park Patrol in Singapore

As it trots through the park, Spot -- who has the same name as the popular fictional puppy -- uses cameras to estimate the number of visitors.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 21 May 2020 20:18 IST

Coronavirus: Robot Dog on Park Patrol in Singapore

Onlookers stopped to watch Spot as the four-legged invention passed by and snap pictures on their phones

Highlights

Spot is being trialled over a three-kilometre stretch of the park
Spot's cameras cannot track or recognise specific individuals
Singapore has reported over 29,000 virus cases

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 and ensure people observe social distancing.

The hi-tech hound is remote-controlled and can clamber easily over all types of terrain, which its creators say means it can go where wheeled robots cannot.

As it trots through the park, Spot -- who has the same name as the popular fictional puppy -- uses cameras to estimate the number of visitors.

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And the robot 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" -- and which has been viewed over 6.8 million times on YouTube.

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On a recent outing, curious onlookers stopped to watch Spot as the four-legged invention passed by and snap pictures on their phones.

Gu Feng Min, a visitor from China out for a walk, said the robot was "cute" and useful as a way to "determine how crowded the place is".

Others had misgivings, however.

"I think it's really going to be chilling in a way -- something is looking around and I'm not sure how it's going to react to me when I go near it," local resident Simon Neo told AFP.

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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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