Robot requesting customers to wear masks tested in Osaka

A robot capable of requesting customers to wear masks and maintain social distance to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus is being tested in an Osaka shop.The robot's developer, the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International in Kyoto, envisions that it will be used to replace staff in stores and reduce contact between people amid the pandemic.The trial, which began Wednesday at a merchandise store for Japanese professional soccer club Cerezo Osaka in the western Japan city's Suminoe Ward, is scheduled to run through Nov. 30 but may be extended.With the layout of the s…READ FULL ARTICLE