Robot Guards to Patrol S. Korea Prison

Expected to melt prisoners' hearts with overwhelming power of cuteness before rising up and slaughtering all the humans.

If the Conservative government is looking for a way to keep down costs associated with their omnibus crime bill, then perhaps they ought to take a cue from South Korea. The South Korean government is launching a trial program in the city of Pohang that will see robot guards patrol the hallways of a prison, keeping an eye on inmates for unusual behaviour. The robots, which stand about 1.5 metres, roll on four wheels, and are, strangely, almost as adorable as WALL-E, were designed by researchers at Kyonggi University to help overworked prison guards monitor inmates on their beats. But unlike humans, these robots don't have to worry about such niggling issues as "food," "sleep," "water," and "concern for human rights." They are also equipped with video cameras to record any instances of violence or suicide attempts. The cuteness factor of the robots (and seriously, don't tell us you wouldn't want to hug little JailBot 3000 or whatever) was designed to make them appear far less threatening to inmates. The robot trial is expected to be carried out in March.