Robots to do household work in S. Korea

July 3, 2006

Approximately 1,000 families in Seoul will use remote-controlled robots to perform household chores this fall, the Korea Times reports.

Project manager Oh Sang-rok of the Ministry of Information and Communication announced a test project, "Ubiquitous Robot Companion," that will include 1,000 households and 40 kindergartens.

The robots will clean up homes, care for pets, read to children and identify visitors, the newspaper reported. Half of them will be controlled remotely via cell phone.

Most of the software and processing work will be performed over the Internet, allowing the ministry to monitor activities and check for bugs, the newspaper said. Five types of robots, all on wheels, will be involved in this fall's test.

The robots will be relatively cheap, with prices ranging between $1,000 and $2,000. After the test this autumn, the ministry wants a robot in every Korean home by 2020, the Times said.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

4.3 /5 (26 votes)  

Rank 4.3 /5 (26 votes)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • Need help reading 3-D
    created7 hours ago
  • A way to send and receive wireless data
    created13 hours ago
  • Tabletop Cold Fusion Reactor
    created14 hours ago
  • Calling function with no input argument
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Force free body diagram problem on gym equipment
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Empirical data regarding shower heads and water
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - General Engineering

More news stories

Japan scientist makes 'Avatar' robot

A Japanese-developed robot that mimics the movements of its human controller is bringing the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar" one step closer to reality.

Electronics / Robotics

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 13

Intel packs performance and reliability into its latest SSD 520 series

Intel Corporation announced today its fastest, most robust client/consumer solid-state drive (SSD) to date, the Intel Solid-State Drive 520 Series (Intel SSD 520), a 6 gigabit-per-second (gbps) SATA III SSD ...

Electronics / Hardware

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 4

Google rumored to have built Heads-Up-Display glasses prototype

(PhysOrg.com) -- 9to5Google is reporting that they have received a tip from someone they believe to be a reliable source saying that Google is working on a Heads-Up-Display (HUD) pair of eye-glasses. The per ...

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (8) | comments 2 | with audio podcast weblog

New Kindle Touch is an impressive e-reader

When it comes to reading digital books, tablets are all the rage. But there's a lot to like about simple e-readers, which over the past year have become both a lot cheaper and a lot less clunky.

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 1

Apple to debut 'iPad 3' in March: report

Apple will unveil a new version of its market-ruling iPad table computer in March, according to a report in Dow Jones-owned technology blog All Things D.

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 1.9 / 5 (21) | comments 0


Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...

GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear

A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.

Europeans protest controversial Internet pact

Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.

Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket

A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.

Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...

Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings

(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.