A store in Japan employs a robot assistant which asks customers to wear their masks properly and follow social distancing while shopping.

'Robovie' is developed by Kyoto-based Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) and currently works inside the official Japanese football club Cerezo Osaka Megastore.

The robot wears a pink shirt like the rest of the staff and politely asks customers to cover their faces with masks or maintain a safe distance. Some scientific studies claim that masks can reduce the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

'Robovie' uses lasers to scan the customers and detect whether they are following the Covid-19 prevention guidelines while shopping or paying for sporting goods.

IT Developers from ATR hopes that the robot could reduce close contact between shoppers and staff, adding that most people will feel less embarrassed if a robot asked them to follow the rules than if a fellow human did it.

Aside from keeping customers safe from contracting the virus, it can also guide them around as it is installed with the shop's map and layout.

However, Robovie's employment is still under trial which will last until the end of November.

After the trial, the robot's efficiency will be evaluated and possibly extended according to the results.

Japan currently has 132,358 recorded cases of Covid-19, 112, 269 of whom have recovered while a total of 1,981 have died, as of November 23.