Shanghai’s robo dog patrols streets during the Covid lockdown ‘Is the Black Mirror becoming a reality’

The black dog-like robot has entertained netizens online by making crucial health announcements and reminding locals about Covid regulations.

People are easing back into their pre-pandemic lives in different areas of the world, but in China, a surge in Covid-19 cases has put the country back on lockdown. People are getting dystopian ideas from a video of a robot making announcements while patrolling vacant neighbourhoods.

As a result of the country’s draconian zero-Covid policy, Shanghai, China’s greatest city and financial powerhouse, has been declared a state of emergency, with some residents risking another ten days of confinement in their homes. In a video, a four-legged robot with a megaphone speaker attached near its head, similar to Boston Dynamics Spots, was seen patrolling empty streets.

According to Xuancheng Daily, “Wear face masks, wash your hands frequently, take your temperature and disinfect your flat.”

“Gather less and enhance home ventilation,” the robotic dog said, as well as “Fight the epidemic with science and keep civilised when outdoors,” according to the South China Morning Post.

People online labelled the video “scary” and “concerning” when it went viral, describing it as “right out of a sci-fi thriller.”

black mirror-george orwell shit…

— Manuel (@KunzlerManuel) March 29, 2022

This is like a weird remake of Wall-E that I'm willing to pass up on. Robots roaming the streets or like ruling the streets…

— Baby Monarch (@BabyMonarch1) March 31, 2022

This is extra creepy if you watched War of the Worlds on Epix a few years ago.

Advertisement

— Sam Rohrer (@SamsTwtr) March 31, 2022

Soon, they will have another kind of robots to catch those lockdown violators pic.twitter.com/TZfTrmTVTj

— Queens Fort (@Bellyhungry) March 31, 2022

A robot apparently enforcing lockdown in Shanghai … I would not be able to resist the urge to kick this thing like it was Friday recess kickball with bases loaded pic.twitter.com/LUPsQqnEVf

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 30, 2022

Just your friendly neighbourhood robot telling you to stay locked up in your homes in Shanghai for days on end while the Government enforces mandatory testing. That's all. Nothing sinister about that. No, sirree, not creepy *at all*. https://t.co/rERy0cpGTS

Advertisement

— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) March 31, 2022

Also Read

Watch: Non-profitable beaches are cleaned with litter-sifting robot in Florida

The beach cleaning robot, BeBot, was donated to the nonprofit Keep Florida...