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The company behind the robot kicked out of a New York park has a new version that it says can screen people for COVID-19

Mary Meisenzahl   

The company behind the robot kicked out of a New York park has a new version that it says can screen people for COVID-19
LifeScience1 min read
Passers-by in Times Square interact with a Promobot robot that informs the public about the symptoms of coronavirus and how to prevent it from spreading, in this still frame obtained from video, in New York City, U.S.  February 10, 2020. REUTERS/Reuters TV

Reuters

Passers-by in Times Square interact with a Promobot robot that informs the public about the symptoms of coronavirus and how to prevent it from spreading, in this still frame obtained from video, in New York City

Robotics company Promobot is back, this time with a robot designed to screen people and take their temperatures before they enter a building.

Promobot is promoting the new "Thermocontrol" feature as a way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the coronavirus disease, which has infected more than one million pe ople around the world.

Back in February, the company gained attention after sending its lifelike robots around New York City and surveying passersby about possible COVID-19 symptoms. It asked people questions about symptoms, gave advice about avoiding the virus, and handed out face masks, and the company says it performed similar surveys in Mexico in March. Promobot was kicked out of Bryant Park in New York for lacking proper permits.

Now, the company is back with the same robot model, but some additional features that it hopes will become standard COVID-19 screening tools, called Promobot Thermontrol. Here's what it's like.

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