Robots to Guard Schools

By Kim Tae-gyu
The Korea Times
May. 31, 2007

Sophisticated security robots will be deployed in the near future to patrol schools around the clock to protect students from violence and other dangers.

DU Robo said Wednesday that the Seoul-based venture start-up company plans to begin a pilot run of the security robot, dubbed OFRO, in a middle school.

This is the first time in the world that a robot will be employed to guard an educational institution, according to DU Robo.

``We are set to check the viability of OFRO as a school robot at a middle school in southern Seoul this week along with KT Telecop,'' DU Robo CEO Kang Jung-won said.

``After going through the feasibility test, we look to commercialize the feature-rich OFRO that retails at around $100,000 as a school guardian,'' he said.

Affiliated with the country's dominant fixed-line telecom company KT, KT Telecop offers security services based on landline telephone lines.

OFRO, which moves at a maximum speed of 5 kilometers per hour, can automatically patrol areas on pre-programmed maps or it can be manually controlled.

Equipped with a camera and a microphone, OFRO also provides visual files to officials of KT Telecop or teachers at schools on a real-time basis.

``One possible scenario is that OFRO will alert officials when it detects someone trying to seduce a student. Then, teachers will send a warning to the perpetrator through a loudspeaker,'' Kang said.

``If the suspicious person refuses to comply with the instruction, KT Telecop guards will be sent there,'' he said.