Robot built for Japan's ageing workforce finds coronavirus role

Mira Robotics' Ugo sterilises a door handle with ultraviolet light during a demonstration at the company's laboratory in Kawasaki, Japan, June 8. — Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

TOKYO: Mira Robotics developed its "ugo" robot to reinforce greying Japan's shrinking workforce, but as the coronavirus threat persists, the Japanese startup is offering its machine as a tool in the fight against the outbreak, the company's CEO said.

"The coronavirus has created a need for robots because they can reduce direct contact between people," Ken Matsui said at his company's workshop in Kawasaki, near Tokyo. "We've had inquiries from overseas, including from Singapore and France."