Robots help deliver goods in Colombia amid lockdown

Delivery service Rappi and tech company Kiwibot have teamed up to deploy 15 robots in the city of Medellin to get food deliveries safely to customers. The robots are allowing delivery workers to avoid direct interaction with customers.

Medellin: A delivery service in Colombia is taking a novel approach to limiting interactions during the coronavirus pandemic, using robots to carry out deliveries.

Delivery service Rappi and tech company Kiwibot have teamed up to deploy 15 robots in the city of Medellin to get food deliveries safely to customers.

The robots travel three to four blocks to get to their final destination, allowing delivery workers to avoid direct interaction with customers.

Employees clean the robots, that is about 1 foot (30.5 centimetres) tall, after each delivery.

Rappi is a popular on-demand delivery app that Colombians have been utilizing during the pandemic to avoid trips outdoors.

The nation currently has more than 4,149 coronavirus cases with over 196 deaths caused by COVID-19.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.

(With inputs from AP)