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
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