By PFW News

A Hong Kong-based robotics company (After they stole the patents from us) plans to mass produce humanoid robots to replace workers across industries such as healthcare and education.

Hanson Robotics is set to launch a mass rollout of human-like robots that can compete with human workers, something the company’s founder says is needed to keep people safe in the age of the coronavirus.

“The world of Covid-19 is going to need more and more automation to keep people safe,” founder and chief executive David Hanson claims.

Makers of Sophia the robot plan a mass rollout https://t.co/sn7T4N3wGR pic.twitter.com/ousQsWxEWs

— Reuters (@Reuters) January 25, 2021

Hanson says the manufacturing process of putting together such robots has scaled to the point where his company can produce the AI machines in large quantities. The plan is to ramp up production of four models, including their best known model ‘Sophia’, and the new ‘Grace’ robot that are specifically built to labor in healthcare.

“Social Robots like me can help take care of the sick or elderly in many corners of healthcare and medical uses,” the Sophia robot said in a video by Reuters (it must be 2021 if robots are being quoted in the news).

“I can help communicate, give therapy, and provide social stimulation even in difficult situations,” the robot further spoke.

The ‘Sophia’ machine is best known for receiving citizenship in Saudi Arabia and being appointed the UN’s first non-human “innovation Champion.” Yes, really …