Singapore is trying a new way to get its residents to stay away from each other.

Last week, the government announced it would start deploying Spot, Boston Dynamics’ famous yellow canine robot, at a park.

The four-legged robot “dog” patrols the area and broadcasts a pre-recorded message to visitors to remind them of the importance of social distancing, authorities said.

The device is also equipped with cameras that scan the surroundings and help officials estimate the number of people gathering in parks, they said. “These cameras will not be able to track and recognize specific individuals, and no personal data will be collected,” the government said in a statement.

The new measure is an experiment to improve enforcement of social distancing throughout Singapore as it contends with an alarming recent spike in cases.

The pilot project is currently set to run in a limited trial for two weeks at one park during off-peak hours. But if all goes well, authorities will consider expanding the program.

The government says it’s also using Spot in another capacity — at a local isolation facility where the robot helps bring medicine to patients.

Spot, which went viral in a series of online videos several years ago showing that it could run uphill, mount stairs and even get you a drink, is generally used for inspections on construction sites or similar situations. It also has been deployed for public safety reasons, such as helping inspect hazardous packages from afar, according to Boston Dynamics.

(SD-Agencies)