Made up of an eclectic assembly of household items like pots, pans and an old television, it is now named the “Delta robot” in a nod to the highly contagious variant of the coronavirus that has ripped through Indonesia.

“With this new Delta variant and the surging number of cases, I decided to turn the robot into one used for public services such as to spray disinfectant, deliver food, and meet the needs of residents who are self-isolating,” said Aseyanto, 53, a neighbourhood leader.

The robot’s head is made from a rice cooker, and it is operated by remote control with a 12-hour battery life. It is one of several robots made in the village of Tembok Gede, which has won a reputation for its creative use of technology.

‘Get well soon’

After trundling down the street to the home of an isolating resident, its speaker announces a greeting followed by: “A delivery is here. Get well soon.”

The village lies within Surabaya, capital of East Java province and Indonesia’s second-biggest city, where a devastating second wave of infections has swept in over the past month.

Indonesia has become the epicentre of Asia’s outbreak and recorded more than 3.68 million infections and more than 108,000 deaths among a population in excess of 270 million.

“This Delta robot is very simple. When we created this, we purely used materials in our neighbourhood,” said Aseyanto.

It is a far cry from the robots deployed in hospitality and for care in Japan and elsewhere, some of which have been adapted to help tackle the pandemic.

“For the base, we used a used toy car chassis,” another team member revealed.