A robot is to be deployed as a security guard at a South Korean school in what its creators claim is a world first, the Korea Times reported on Thursday.
The robot, dubbed Ofro, will be posted at a Seoul middle school to test its potential before going on sale.
Makers DU Robo said it could be used to alert staff to attempts by outsiders to harm students.
“One possible scenario is that Ofro will alert officials when it detects someone trying to [harm] a student,” the firm’s CEO Kang Jung-Won told the newspaper. Teachers could then either warn the offender through a loudspeaker or send human security guards.
The firm claims it is the first time a robot has been used to guard an educational institution.
“After going through the feasibility test, we [will] look to commercialise the feature-rich Ofro that retails at about $100 000 dollars as a school guardian,” said Kang.
Ofro moves at a leisurely maximum of 5km/h and can either patrol pre-programmed routes or be manually controlled. It has a camera and microphone link to teachers or a security firm. — AFP