The Ministry of Information and Communication of Korea together with KT(Korea Telecom) have unveiled five “robots for the people” and are now starting two months of trial service. One thousand of the robots will be distributed to selected families, and after the inspection of the technology, the electronic helpers will go into normal use next year.The household robot will be able to download KT’s (Korea Telecom) wireless data net. News, weather and home-monitoring is available from all the robots. Some of the robots are also units capable of reading stories to the children and teaching them songs or English conversation. A group of 20 robots developed separately will be dispatched to Incheon International Airport and Seoul Station to provide transport and tourist information
Still there is a long way to go for the robots to become fully operational economically. W2-million (US$1=W958) is a great amount to spend on a robot that is essentially a child’s plaything or robotic pet. Then there is the burden of monthly membership fees.
Via Chosun