A Chinese tech company has deployed an army of 5G-controlled robots to help combat the coronavirus outbreak in China—and their human operators don't even have to be in the same city.
The flu-like illness has so far infected 80,430 people, with more than 3,000 deaths since the outbreak in Wuhan, central China.
Guangdong-based tech company AgileX Robotics has now invented a mini-rover, equipped with cameras and rotating nozzles to spray disinfectant on the streets, as an innovative approach to reducing cross-infection among the public.
The antibacterial robots can be controlled by phones from over 2,000 kilometers away using the country's massive 5G network, the largest of its kind.
Brandy, a marketing manager at AgileX Robotics who did not want to provide her last name, told Daily Star Online: "As long as there is a 5G network covered, I can control the robot in Beijing while I am here in Shenzhen (approximately 1,367 miles away).
"This is a step of achievement to show how limitless it can be."
So far, robots have been deployed in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
In a video of the robot in action in Shenzhen, the machine is seen operating in a train car while spraying antibacterial disinfectants on the seats.
It can also be used on sidewalks, schools, commercial buildings or residents.
The robot could replace the risk of sending cleaners to cities affected by the coronavirus to carry out sanitation work.
"You can connect the robot to your 5G-enabled phone or tablet and control it through our dedicated app," Brandy told this site.
"Alternatively, you can control it using a joystick and it works like you would maneuver a remote-controlled toy car.
"It can go anywhere until the battery runs out, which is about two hours."
He said the robot can work in areas without 5G networks, but the distance would be restricted to a range of 300 meters.
In China, authorities have deployed spray trucks and installed "disinfectant tunnels" in cities after thousands of people tested positive for the deadly virus.
Brandy explained: "Coronavirus can spread easily through physical contact, and the help of autonomous technology can reduce the risk to a minimum.
"The operator can view the surroundings through the robot's camera via the 5G connection before performing deep cleaning.
"The entire process is contactless."
Technology aims to replace manual labor to reduce the risk of contracting coronavirus
Daily Star Online can reveal that each robot can carry a 30-liter disinfectant container with dual nozzles that can spray over a range of 15,000 square meters.
There are currently 30 robots deployed across the country to carry out disinfection work.
But Brandy said they're looking to improve some of the specifications in the bids to strengthen sanitation and hygiene.
"The nozzles we currently have are manually operated; we hope to automate them to further reduce the risk of touching the infected surface," he explained.
"We'll also add a 'gimbal,' a pivoting mount, to the robot to make it easier to control the direction of the nozzles."
