The COVID-19 epidemic has left most public events, including music and sports events, in the world … unorganized. However, when the epidemic cooled down in many countries, daily life in normal conditions was returning. In Japan, the Nippon Professional Baseball League has officially kicked off.
However, not many stadiums allow spectators to watch live matches until at least July 10, so the teams have replaced different icons in the stands. For SoftBank Hawks, owned by Japanese tech giant SoftBank, Pepper robots seem to be quite an interesting choice. The robots wear team shirts and look like supportive fans.
At the same time, fans of Rakuten Eagles, the rival team, watch the game on the big screen but still maintain social distance.
This robot is also used for a variety of purposes to combat COVID-19 in Japan, including working at hotels where COVID-19 patients are staying.
Although not attending the match, fans can leave cheerleading messages on the rows.
Other teams, such as Orix Buffaloes, put stuffed animals in empty stands.
