Robotic prison wardens to patrol South Korean prison

[someone_else]

Article

Robot wardens are about to join the ranks of South Korea's prison service.

A jail in the eastern city of Pohang plans to run a month-long trial with three of the automatons in March.

The machines will monitor inmates for abnormal behaviour. Researchers say they will help reduce the workload for other guards.

South Korea aims to be a world leaders in robotics. Business leaders believe the field has the potential to become a major export industry.

The three 5ft-high (1.5m) robots involved in the prison trial have been developed by the Asian Forum for Corrections, a South Korean group of researchers who specialise in criminality and prison policies.

It said the robots move on four wheels and are equipped with cameras and other sensors that allow them to detect risky behaviour such as violence and suicide.

Prof Lee Baik-Chu, of Kyonggi University, who led the design process, said the robots would alert human guards if they discovered a problem.

"As we're almost done with creating its key operating system, we are now working on refining its details to make it look more friendly to inmates," the professor told the Yonhap news agency.

The one-month trial will cost 1bn won (£554,000) and is being sponsored by the South Korean government.

It is the latest in a series of investments made by the state to develop its robotics industry.

The country's Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in January that it had spent the equivalent of £415m on research in the sector between 2002 and 2010.

It said the aim was to compete with other countries, such as Japan, which are also exploring the industry's potential.

In October the ministry said the Korean robot market had recorded 75% growth over the past two years and was now worth about £1bn.
Robots everywhere

Success stories reported by the Korean media include Samsung Techwin's sale of a robotic surveillance system to Algeria and shipments of the humanoid Hubo robot to six universities in the US.

The South Korean defence company DoDAAM is also developing robotic gun turrets for export which can be programmed to open fire automatically.

Within the country English-speaking robotic teaching assistants are already being deployed in some schools to help children to practise their pronunciation.

The Joongang Daily newspaper reported in August that a company called Showbo had begun mass producing a robot that bowed to shop customers and told them about promotions on offer.

Other firms say they hope to start selling robots to help care for the elderly before the end of the decade, and personal assistant robots further down the line.

The government is also building a Robot Land theme park in the north-west city of Incheon to help highlight the country's success. Planners say they hope 2.8 million people will visit each year.

Seems easy to topple.

[Tolya]

Honestly, I don't see the point. As a surveillance system it sucks, because your basic CCTV camera is much cheaper. If you want some kind of a robot, you would probably be better off just by mounting a set of rails on each block (y'know, Portal 2 style) and attach smaller camera equipped and centrally supervised units.

If recognition of abnormal behaviour is the goal, then hooking CCTV network to some kind of specially programmed central unit seems to make more sense to me.

Seems like techwank to me. The least they could do is shape each robot like a Dalek. That would at least be cool.

[Solauren]

For some reason, after reading the article, I'm remindered of the ED-209 from the first Robocop movie.

But yeah, waste of $$$

[Lord Zentei]

Maybe if they equip it with a taser or something.

No, not really.

[Shroom Man 777]

But yeah, waste of $$$

I'd buy that for a dollar!

I think the robots aren't just for surveillance, but also for prisoner interaction and issuing commands and shit and basically acting like the traditional guard telling the prisoners to go in and out of their cells and watching them as they do so and such.

[PeZook]

Have you guys missed the part where the article says this is essentially a subsidy to the nation's robotic industry?

[Enigma]

But yeah, waste of $$$

I'd buy that for a dollar!

I think the robots aren't just for surveillance, but also for prisoner interaction and issuing commands and shit and basically acting like the traditional guard telling the prisoners to go in and out of their cells and watching them as they do so and such.

Giving prisoners ample opportunity to blow their load on the robots or to simply topple it for shits and giggles. They can basically "murder" the robots without severe repercussions.

[Nephtys]

Officer Beepsky they ain't. Sounds really like another Korean attempt to out-do Japan or China at some major industry.

Also, who designed that outer frame? Matel wouldn't sell kids toys that silly, much less use them to guard prisoners. It's made of 'big wheels' plastic and has the same colors.

[Stark]

Test models designed to be hard-wearing in rough environment? Impossible!

The only real question I have is how the Koreans expect to have a properly corrupt prison system without guards. Who's going to look the other way at the rapes? Who's goign to get paid off for the drugs?

[Akhlut]

Test models designed to be hard-wearing in rough environment? Impossible!

Also: how is something that has four wheels and doubtlessly weighs several hundred pounds (seriously, a 5ft. tall robot covered in metal, it's going to be fucking heavy) easy to tip over?

Plus, I imagine breaking the super expensive robot earns you a much longer prison sentence.

The only real question I have is how the Koreans expect to have a properly corrupt prison system without guards. Who's going to look the other way at the rapes? Who's goign to get paid off for the drugs?

The guys watching the cameras?

[mr friendly guy]

Officer Beepsky they ain't. Sounds really like another Korean attempt to out-do Japan or China at some major industry.

.

While a Chinese business man is already using robots (albeit simple ones) to serve as waiters.
linky

I remember researching further and the company who made the robots apparently have bigger plans for the robotic industry. This is just a stepping stone.

Meanwhile in Japan they have robots to talk to their elderly in nursing homes.

All in all though, with aging populations robots could be used to take some of the load off humans. Arguably though some people will object to having robots talk to the elderly thinking they need the company of real humans.

[Sea Skimmer]

Its a inherently controlled environment to test a robot in yet under conditions that can be called real, not a lab, that's what they really want I'm sure.

[aussiemuscle308]

"As we're almost done with creating its key operating system, we are now working on refining its details to make it look more friendly to inmates," the professor told the Yonhap news agency.

They should look like this: http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/T800-Close.jpg

and here's an early test: http://www.spaciousplanet.com/images/wo ... 83215.jpeg