It may not be long before penal institutions use robot prison guards as security personnel. Apparently a jail in Pohang, South Korea, will start trials in March 2012 that involve the use of prison bots instead of human guards.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, the trial will use robot prison guards to monitor the jails and detect unusual activity, as well as patrol the prison's corridors at night. What's more, these robot prison guards will analyze inmate behavior and report to human guards anything that seems out of the ordinary. Since they can also provide a way for inmates to contact guards when necessary, they will also serve as a communication channel.
However, the leader of the project, Lee Baik-chul of Kyonggi University, is quick to point out that the robots are not meant to be violent or threatening. In fact, they are made to look "humane and friendly."
"The robots are not terminators," Baik-chul stated. "They are helpers. When an inmate is in a life-threatening situation or seriously ill, he or she can reach out for help quickly."
Robotic Penitentiary Patrols
South Korean Jail Running Trials on Use of Robot Prison Guards
Trend Themes
1. Robot Prison Guards - The trend of using robot prison guards presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the security industry.
2. Monitoring Technology in Prisons - The trend of implementing monitoring technology in prisons opens up possibilities for disruption in the surveillance industry.
3. Humanoid Assistants - The trend of developing humanoid assistants for various tasks offers opportunities for disruptive innovation in the robotics industry.
Industry Implications
1. Security - The security industry can explore disruptive innovation opportunities through the utilization of robot prison guards.
2. Surveillance - The surveillance industry can benefit from disruptive innovation by leveraging monitoring technology in prisons.
3. Robotics - The robotics industry can seize disruptive innovation opportunities by developing more humanoid assistants for different applications.