Jail in South Korea to be patrolled by robots

Inmates planning to escape from jail in South Korea will soon have to overcome more than prison bars, high walls and watchtowers.

For one high-security facility is to be given a new weapon in the war on crime - robot prison guards that can detect suspicious behaviour among inmates.

Three of the 5ft-tall robots will begin work as warders at a correctional facility in the southeastern city of Pohang early next year. If the trial run proves successful, more robots will be drafted in to patrol the country's prisons.

The robots are designed to patrol the corridors of corrective institutions, monitoring conditions inside the cells. Sensors in the machines can detect changes in a prisoner's condition - such as aggression or suicidal tendencies - and then inform human officers.

The robots, which move about on four wheels, can also put felons in contact with officers through a remote conversation function.

Professor Lee Baik-Chul of the Asian Forum For Corrections said: 'Unlike CCTV that just monitors cells through screens, the robots are programmed to analyse various activities of those in prison and identify abnormal behavior. Read More