By YUSUKE NAGANO/ Staff Writer
May 1, 2020 at 17:59 JST
A Softbank Corp. Pepper humanoid robot, left, that greets guests and another robot that cleans the lobby are unveiled at a hotel accommodating patients with mild or no symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Hachioji, Tokyo, on April 30. (Hiroyuki Yamamoto)
Artificial intelligence robots are set to start working from May 1 at two Tokyo hotels accommodating patients infected with the novel coronavirus who have mild or no symptoms.
Softbank Corp. Pepper humanoid robots will greet hotel patients with, “I’m praying you will recover as soon as possible.”
Other autonomous robots will scurry along the floor cleaning the lobbies of the hotels, where patients pick up bento box meals and other supplies.
The Tokyo metropolitan government decided to introduce the robots at a hotel in Sumida Ward and another in Hachioji city to ease the burden on nurses and other staff on call at the hotels tending to patients and to provide a comfortable environment for those staying there.
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