Retailers will be forced to implement infection prevention measures in their stores for many months to come. It is therefore worthwhile for them to think about how to deal with the regulations in a cost-saving way in the long term. IOSY-Covid makes this possible - and helps with market research.

A sunny day somewhere in Germany. A customer enters a medium-sized store. The first thing he encounters in the entrance area is IOSY, the robot colleague. She recognizes people and knows from her sensors that there are currently 20 customers in the store. The store manager has set this number as the maximum limit. IOSY informs the customer of this on her face display and asks them to be patient. In the meantime, she invites them to place their hands under the sensor on their "belly". There he receives a free portion of disinfectant. The customer spreads the liquid on his hands. IOSY observes him, gives him tips and counts the seconds he should spend disinfecting. At this moment, a customer leaves the store. IOSY registers this with its sensor. She kindly informs the new customer that it is now their turn to start shopping.

"It seems to me as if our IOSY has been waiting to become a coronavirus heroine," says Matthias Krinke, Managing Director of pi4 robotics. "It could already count customers." The previous model was used for market research and advertising. Entrepreneurs can also use the pi4 cloud to see how many customers move where and when across several stores. "When the coronavirus crisis hit and it became clear what was changing in retail as a result, we realized that IOSY only needed a bit of special equipment to help," says Krinke.

Instead of the large advertising display on the stomach, a contactless hand sanitizer dispenser has been installed, and the instructions for this and the current number of customers are shown on the smaller face display. Due to the high demand, pi4 has already reduced the price of IOSY-Covid. Fully equipped in the desired company colors, including installation and service, the robot is available for around 5,000 euros. However, the robot can also be hired for shorter assignments - even spontaneously. "We currently have enough IOSY-Covids in stock," says Matthias Krinke. "So nobody has to hoard robots!" as