Ten days after Germans had to learn how to live with a "contact ban" which prohibits people from forming groups of three or more in public due to the coronavirus outbreak, a little robot in a supermarket outside Cologne politely reminds shoppers of the new rules.
This ‘keep-your-distance’ robot is lightening the mood in a German supermarket Location: Lindlar ‘Pepper’ reminds shoppers of new social distancing rules which ban groups of three or more (SOUNDBITE) (German) OWNER OF EDEKA SUPERMARKET BRANCH, MARC-PHILIPP STOECKER, SAYING:"Of course our hope was that it would take some of the tension out of the situation.
Customers are stressed because no one knows what's coming next and we managed to create a totally different atmosphere in the checkout area which takes off a lot of pressure.
People smile about this robot and they tend not to be too upset if they can't buy a particular item.
That's cool." Pepper stands near the checkout telling customers to stay 1.5 to 2 meters apart and politely asks them not to hoard food