Are You Ready For 'Prison Guard' Robots?

When you picture robot prison guards, this is probably not what you picture.

It's rather harmless looking and that's the point. You see, these robots will work in a South Korean prison, but so as not to raise alarm as "Terminator" robots, they were designed to look more friendly.

Even though they look a little soft around the edges, these robots are the ultimate tattletale. CNET reports that three of these robots will begin patrolling a Pohang prison by March with the main function of alerting human guards of dangerous behavior:

"As we're almost done with creating its key operating system, we are now working on refining its details to make it look more friendly to inmates," Yonhap quoted AFC Chairman Lee Baik-Chul of Kyonggi University as saying.

"That's a concern. But the robots are not Terminators. Their job is not cracking down on violent prisoners. They are helpers. When an inmate is in a life-threatening situation or seriously ill, he or she can reach out for help quickly."

The robots have camera sensors that pick up on cues that could signal violence or suicide. The project is organized by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and costs $864,000 (1 billion Won).