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Now he’s a mask-ot.
Metro-North has deployed its robot mascot — yes, the Metro-North railway has a mascot — to distribute face masks on platforms and trains.
Metro-Man — a human in a costume, not an actual robot — resembles a plastic RoboCop knock-off, complete with shiny armor and a black, and slightly terrifying glowing eyes. Metro-North’s logo is affixed to the costume’s chest.
Metro-North posted photos on Twitter Wednesday of the automaton distributing masks at Grand Central Terminal and an unspecified suburban rail station.
In one photo, Metro-Man wears is sporting a mask himself and has three more in his hand.
Metro-Man was first created in 1983 as part of a company initiative to education schoolchildren about railroad safety, TimeOut New York reported.
At the time, the mascot was an actual robot, and operated by motion-control, according to the New York Transit Museum, which now houses the retired droid.
Its design — two boxes on top of each other — was more similar to the characters’ inspiration, Star Wars’ R2-D2.
The railroad launched the current version of Metro-Man in 2018.
With the help of its cyber superhero, the MTA has passed out over five million masks, transit officials said Thursday.
