Asking someone to put on a mask is a touchy subject, so one shop in Japan has enlisted a robot to make sure its customers wear them during the pandemic.

Japan has had a comparatively small coronavirus outbreak overall, although cases are rising
Japan has had a comparatively small coronavirus outbreak overall, although cases are rising AFP / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU

"I'm sorry to bother you, but please wear a mask," says the small humanoid machine after wheeling up to a bare-faced shopper, in a demonstration video released by its developers.

"Thank you for understanding," it says when the customer obliges, bowing its rounded white head towards them in thanks.

A woman wears a face mask at Tokyo shopping mall in June 2020
A woman wears a face mask at Tokyo shopping mall in June 2020 AFP / Behrouz MEHRI

The robot nicknamed "Robovie" has been deployed at a sports store in the city of Osaka in an experiment by Kyoto-based research institute ATR, which built the electronic clerk.

Its camera and laser scanner can detect when people are not wearing a mask, or standing too close together in the queue -- in which case it asks them to move apart.

Japan has had a comparatively small coronavirus outbreak overall, although cases are rising with a record 2,201 infections recorded nationwide on Wednesday.

Coronavirus Japan