Robotic Prison Wardens Coming to South Korea's Prisons

At 5 feet tall, equipped with intelligent cameras and object-recognition capabilities, this robo-warden is looking to clean up South Korea's prisons.

The robot, which is still in the prototype phase, will begin a month-long trial next year at one prison. Afterward, officials at the Asian Forum for Corrections hope the bot will be used throughout the country to help squash violent behavior and minimize prisoner suicide attempts.

How? The bot will roll around on four wheels, using its cameras, sensors and object-recognition software to detect voilent outbursts, fights and even suicidal behavior. When the bot finds something amiss, it will notify human guards so they can take it from there.

This is an interesting way for South Korea, which is known for its robotic innovation, to cut down on the number of guards needed and, hopefully, the amount of violence they encounter. But in all honesty, I'm dying to find out how long it takes for prisoners to smash their robo-warden to bits.