Robotic Prison Guards Let Loose in South Korea as 2012 Spells Doom

As of this week, robotic prison warden automatons have been okay-ed to become prison guard staff in South Korean facilities in 2012.

This is not a joke, or at least not entirely.

The New Year will bring with it many “Rapture” and “end of days” conspiracy theories, many Mayan calendars, several dozen horrible movies, and many battery-free Incan sundials (not to be outdone by the Mayan theme).

But it is in South Korea that doom will certainly start to gain the upper hand, as three artificially intelligent robotic prison wardens are to be employed in March of 2012.

They are 1.5 meters tall (that’s five feet American, folks), and they see, they discern, and they act in order to recognize violent or suicidal behavior and then alert fellow guards. They are not supposed to intervene, at this stage, but these gargantuan Asimov inspired robots look like they could kick some serious ass.

Professor Lee Baik-Chu, of Kyonggi University, who led the design process, appears to have been aware of their intimidating design. He told the Yonhap news agency, “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.”

Over the last couple of years, South Korea’s robotics industry has grown seventy-five percent. They are attempting to become a world powerhouse in the futuristic and science fiction-like use of using robots that can see and think (to various degrees) in everyday society.

For the time being, South Korean inmates and human guards will be the guinea pigs in the month long trial experiment of the robotic prison wardens.

Should anything go wrong, remember that we warned you about 2012’s realistic threats way back when, and therefore, you might want to check in to Gadizmo early and often to keep up on the fun ways we might devise for our own demise; or you could just pick up one of the cool gifts we have reviewed as a going away present.