SK Telecom (SKT) partnered with Omron Electronics Korea to develop a robot capable of autonomously carrying out monitoring activities, such as contactless temperature screenings, to automate safety checks and prevent the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus).

Using SKT’s AI-based video analysis solution and running on its 5G network, the robot can detect locations where people are gathered, move to the areas and then play a message stressing the importance of social distancing, the operator said in a statement. The robot, fitted with a thermal imaging camera, can also identify people not wearing face masks and ask them to wear one.

The robot, equipped with ultraviolet lamps and sprayers, can disinfect 33 square metres of surface areas in 10 minutes.

The companies will first use the robots at their headquarters, and plan to officially launch them in Korea later this year and in global markets in 2021.

Choi Nag-hun, head of SKT’s Industrial Data Business Unit, said the company is looking for ways to help relieve the unprecedented situation brought by the coronavirus, noting: “We will continue to introduce diverse services fit for the non-face-to-face era by leveraging our ICT including 5G and AI.”