In this file photo, an engineer with Shanghai TMiRob teaches medics to use the robot in Wuhan Union Hospital. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

NANJING — Serving as both deliverymen and disinfection workers, robots have been on duty in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, to give a helping hand to frontline workers during the anti-epidemic fight.

A robot cleaner can replace up to four human workers in cleaning and disinfecting floors, working for eight hours along a designated route or area on a single charge

At 9:00 am every day, a white disinfection robot, with a touch screen that allows human workers to give instructions and keep an eye on its battery percentage, begins its routine to disinfect a health service center in downtown Suzhou.

A robot cleaner can replace up to four human workers in cleaning and disinfecting floors, working for eight hours along a designated route or area on a single charge, according to the robot's research team.

During lunchtime, another robot begins to work as a deliveryman in the center to bring lunch to patients across different wards. It can memorize the needs of patients and deliver the dishes precisely.

This undated photo shows a disinfection robot developed by Shanghai TMiRob. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

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At the city's major railway station, a vending robot is always at the service of travelers with food and beverages. Buyers can scan a QR code on the machine to pay. The robot is accompanied by a quiet and efficient floor mopping robot.

In this file photo, an engineer with Shanghai TMiRob teaches medics to use the robot in Wuhan Union Hospital. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

The vending robot also offers a clue to an innovative retail model, said Ren Beini with Neolix, developer of the robot.Since the outbreak, high-tech products such as robots have become popular helpers in neighborhoods and public places across China.

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