The idea of machines or robots taking human jobs has been present in one way or another for many, many decades now, but English teachers in South Korea may finally have real cause for concern.

That’s right—Korean researchers have developed robot teachers that can be used in classrooms to help students with their lessons. The first wave of such robots has already been released as assistant teachers in schools lacking in educators, a project that will cost $45 million. Current plans are to install these AI helpers in 8,000 preschools and kindergartens by 2013.

The idea behind this next step in Korean education is largely fueled by the lack of English teachers in the country. Many students want to learn the language and continue their education abroad, and Korea is always bringing in foreign teachers to try and meet ever-growing demand. Using robots to fill in the spots might be expensive at first, but in the long term could save the system a lot of money. Robots don’t need salaries or retirement plans, after all.

For now, these robots are only acting as assistants, but if this experiment proves successful, could they start replacing real teachers and putting them out of work? The Korean Times interviewed and found out that Korean teachers themselves aren’t too concerned by this possibility. Robots can be programmed to read lectures or communicate learned phrases with the students, but are still a long way off from offering the human quality which constitutes great teaching.

The video and pictures make the bot seem more like a nanny than an actual teacher, and maybe the Korean teachers are right to dismiss any worries. You can’t quite see this thing operating in a larger environment, like a high school or even a middle school. But one always needs to take the first step.

Watching the below video of a little girl interacting with the robot clearly shows that there is still much work to be done before these English teaching robots are truly useful in the classroom.



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Plans for the world’s first robot-themed amusement park have been gaining wind in their sails, and hopes are that “Incheon Robot Land” in South Korea will mostly be completed by 2012, and open for visitors by the following year. This is exciting news for anyone who first started following the project since it began being talked about in 2007.

The theme park will be quite massive, covering 767, 287 square feet, and will be divided into four “worlds”, much like Disneyland. They include “Robot Kingdom”, “Fun City”, “Robotopia”, and “Kidbot Village”. Each of these areas will be unique and offer much more than just rollercoasters, with many attractions said to have never been seen before. Sounds like fun for everyone.

Besides the various rides and robotic wonders, which include a 4D space ride, the vicinity will also be used for educational and other purposes. The Incheon Robot Land’s office will be erected there, as well as a KAIST Robot Graduate School which will offer top robot research facilities, there will be a robot museum, robot-themed restaurants, shops, and even a daycare. They really did think of everything it seems.

Besides the various rides and robotic wonders, which include a 4D space ride, the vicinity will also be used for educational and other purposes. The Incheon Robot Land’s office will be erected there, as well as a KAIST Robot Graduate School which will offer top robot research facilities, there will be a robot museum, robot-themed restaurants, shops, and even a daycare. They really did think of everything it seems.

As can be expected, all those facilities, including the numerous robots that will serve various purposes around the theme park, will cost a pretty penny. The entire project has been given a budget of $18.1 million US dollars, and plans are for construction to begin as early as this summer, pending a public hearing at the Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy. Incheon Robot Land will be promoted as a global attraction and will hope to attract many international tourists, which will help make up the costs. The park is expected to employ around 90,000 employees every year, which will definitely help the economy too.

[source Korea IT Times]