Saturday, June 2, 2007

South Korea Hires Robot to Protect Children





South Korea Hires Robot to Protect Children

http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/06/01/south-korea-hires-robot-to-protect-children/#more-752

The world’s first robot to guard children was developed in South Korea. Scientists dubbed the robot OFRO, and it’s main goal is to protect children in Seoul’s middle school. Placing a robot in the school is a test that the developers are going to make before launching the robot into the market.

According to the developers the robot could be useful in alerting staff in case outsiders intend to seduce students. Chief Executive of Du Robo, Kang Jung-Won, told Korea Times that one of the possible scenarios is that in case OFRO spots someone trying to seduce a student it will immediately alert school’s officials.

After the robot has alerted teachers, they have several opportunities: whether to warn the offender via loudspeaker or send school’s security guards.

The firm’s officials stated that their invention is the world’s first robot that is used for the purpose of guarding an educational institution. The speed of OFRO is 5km/h. The robot is able to patrol pre-programmed routes or it can be controlled by a human, i. e. manually. A camera and microphone are attached to OFRO so to maintain connection with teachers or a security firm.

Kang Jung-Won stated that after the developers pass the feasibility test, they are going to commercialize OFRO. The smart-robot will have a retail price of around $100,000.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Freak Cat Grows Wings… WTF?


Freak Cat Grows Wings… WTF?

A Chinese woman says her cat has wings.



Granny Feng’s tom cat has sprouted two hairy 4 ins long wings, reports the Huashang News.

“At first, they were just two bumps, but they started to grow quickly, and after a month there were two wings,” she said.

Feng, of Xianyang city, Shaanxi province, says the wings, which contain bones, make her pet look like a ‘cat angel’.

Her explanation is that the cat sprouted the wings after being sexually harassed.

“A month ago, many female cats in heat came to harass him, and then the wings started to grow,” she said.

However, experts say the phenomenon is more likely down to a gene mutation, and say it shouldn’t prevent the cat living a normal life.

For more info on winged cats, take a look at this page.

This link is freaky and pretty long, gregor