South Korea wants 100% robot market penetration by 2020

You've got 14 years, South Korea, to make good on your promise: 100% market penetration for robots in the home some time between 2015 and 2020. We'll be generous and give you the later date to work with, but don't you and your Ministry of Information and Communication go spouting off about how you've got goals to put a robot in every home by 2020 unless you're dead serious, you hear us? Because we here at Engadget take our robots seriously -- from Roombas to Ri-Man -- so don't go all getting our hopes up for some postmodern South Korean android utopia of intelligent networked household service bots unless you're prepared to deliver, ok?

[Thanks, Palm Addict]

[Logan @ Apr 2nd 2006 6:04PM]

it's comforting to see that as japan takes one step back with sony's killing of the AIBO and such, someone is taking a step forward in the advancement of robots.

[ikiryou @ Oct 1st 2007 1:20PM]

Japan will likely beat them to it. Take a look at this robot from Japan's Kawada Industries. Note that it has stable legs as opposed to wheels, doesn't require a power cord and is capable of performing actual tasks and a Japanese folk dance.

[Ian Gibson @ Apr 2nd 2006 6:21PM]

japanese penetration

[Tiago @ Apr 2nd 2006 6:28PM]

amazing stuff!

[Alex @ Apr 2nd 2006 6:41PM]

I for one welcome new predictions for the total dominance of our new robotic overlords.

[Dylan Withers @ Apr 2nd 2006 7:11PM]

It'll be like 2100 when America finally gets 100% robot penetration in households.

[Eric @ Dec 3rd 2006 8:32AM]

I know. We're even behind on cooking utensils (I've hurt myself with forks before)!

[thomas_h @ Apr 2nd 2006 7:28PM]

it'll be awesome when we finally get some robots that are smart enough to do household chores, and that we can actually talk to.. im not expecting robots like bicentennial man or A.I. in the near future, but i guess we'll see some pretty amazing robots in 6 - 10 years.. i hope.

[paris @ Apr 2nd 2006 7:39PM]

as long as the only thing these robots penetrate is the market then no probs here.

[steve-0 @ Apr 2nd 2006 9:04PM]

I just hope no one figures out a malicious virus that command the robot to chop the owners into stew size chunks.

[LukeD @ Apr 2nd 2006 9:05PM]

Maybe they're planning a total robot invasion of N. Korea!

[pasokon @ Apr 2nd 2006 9:17PM]

It's very similar to "I, Robot," isn't it? I don't think it's going to be possible, because robots are just going to take lots of citizen's jobs away, causing great problems with the people. We shouldn't go that far yet, Korea, it just doesn't feel right.

[steve-0 @ Apr 2nd 2006 9:25PM]

Or start having the pulsating triple penetration thingy.

[Andre @ Apr 2nd 2006 9:43PM]

Korea Number 1!

[Fleecebeast @ Apr 2nd 2006 9:51PM]

Frankly, I'm more worried that in 14 years robots will achieve 100% CEREBRAL penetration, Matrix-style.

[the antique @ Apr 2nd 2006 10:07PM]

market penetration... sounds like some crazy fetish.

[apt @ Apr 2nd 2006 10:25PM]

I'm still keeping my EMP charged and ready, just in case...

Hmm, a robot for everyone... where have I heard that before...

[Mark 2000 @ Apr 2nd 2006 11:42PM]

I'll believe this when they come through on their cloning promises (which were a lie).

[truongn2 @ Apr 2nd 2006 11:53PM]

I don't know if I like the idea of having robots that do everything. It one thing for smart computers and gadgets, it another to have a robot to imitate a human.

[Kibiyama @ Apr 3rd 2006 2:03AM]

Who the hell is Market, and why do we want to penetrate him?

[em-tv @ Apr 3rd 2006 2:16AM]

Go South Korea! We need more penetration!

[Eric @ Apr 3rd 2006 4:36AM]

Now we can blame the Koreans for bringing us the end of the world if the robots turn on us like in iRobot and T3! For now, i'll eat some bulgogi while im alive

[emceay @ Apr 3rd 2006 5:12AM]

Doesn't anyone else see how disturbing that image is? That child will one day grow to have an insatiable oedipus complex for tin cans.

[rob3 @ Apr 3rd 2006 9:41AM]

As if people aren't sedentary as it is. "Robot, do this." "Robot, get me that."

A world of lazy fat people.

[Ryan Block @ Apr 3rd 2006 9:47AM]

You guys are really mature with all the "penetration" jokes.

[cc om @ Apr 3rd 2006 11:49AM]

If a robot is a slave because its dependent, then so is my toaster
(it's not free to act without me doing something to let it). Then
again, if my toaster's a slave, then so am I (I'm not free to act
without having an environment that lets me). So maybe we should think
of slavery as the denial of the freedom to act in your own best
interest. Then we have to ask 'do robots have interests'? If a robot
preserves itself under normal circumstances, then I think it has an
interest in preserving itself. So we need to make the robots as much
dependent upon us as we are on them (it's fine if we're slaves of
each other). Since all of our achievements are becoming computable,
right now I can't think of any more sophisticated scenario than the
one in the Matrix (robots farming humans). If anyone can think of a
better dependence relation, I'd be very interested;

[PDubNYC @ Apr 3rd 2006 11:58AM]

#4, DIE! Please let that stupid overlords joke just die already.

[Derek @ Apr 3rd 2006 12:40PM]

I don't get it. Why do you need a robot to carry you? Where are you being carried? What kind of place would you be in where you would need to be carried to and fro? A hospital? Don't they have stretchers and beds on wheels for that kind of thing? Wouldn't that be more appropriate, comfortable, and cost effective? yes? So... WTF?!?

[Tuborg Gold @ Apr 3rd 2006 6:52PM]

Is it just me or is this thing a clone of Rosie from the Jetsons. All that's missing are the red light bulbs for eyes.

[arthurneddysmith @ Feb 21st 2007 7:36AM]

"A world of lazy fat people."

Like all the fat and lazy people in Africa? Perhaps when you say "world" you mean "America". Perhaps your robot could help you with your generalisations and geography. Not an American robot though, it would be busy invading something.

[Feba @ Apr 17th 2007 12:15PM]

Uh, it looks like it's a robot carrying another robot, not a child..

[Liquid Vamp @ Oct 12th 2007 9:00AM]

arthurneddysmith - over 60% of america is obese right now anyways : /

someone else also wrote that robots would take everyones jobs? isnt that what we want? imagine a world without money. surely if robots did all the work we could live without coin, and it would be great.