By Yi Whan-woo
At the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, it is not just the more than 20,000 volunteers who are helping visitors and athletes at the venues, plazas and other facilities.
Eighty-one robots are in action as well with various missions, such as serving drinks, cleaning floors, keeping the visitors updated with competition schedules, supplementary programs, the weather and tourist attractions.
The robots are divided into 11 different types depending on their jobs, including 29 conversational guide bots that give directions at stadia and the athletes' villages in PyoengChang and Gangneung.
The spectators inside the stadiums can encounter robots that resemble Soohorang the white tiger, one of the two PyeongChang Winter Games mascots.
They offer transportation and event guidance in four languages including English.
"They have become popular among visitors who often line up to take photos with them," an organizing committee official said.
Two high-tech robots capable of self-navigation are seen cleaning carpets in hallways.
At the Main Press Center (MPC) in PyeongChang, drink-serving robots that look like mini refrigerators can easily be spotted. They open flaps and reveal free bottles of water for guests after moving to designated points.
In addition to practical purposes, the high-tech robots are also used for display and entertainment.
A total of 20 robotic fish can be seen swimming inside water tanks at the MPC and the Super Store in Gangneung that sell Olympic merchandise.
They can swim in water five meters deep for up to 30 hours on a single charge and are also capable of recognizing obstacles.
Some other robots project daily news and weather on to the floor, while another group of "wall-painting" robots can create complex murals on-demand based on topics input into them.
The organizing committee introduced the robots developed by South Korea's tech firms and research institutes to show off the nation's information and communications technology.
Building robots require cameras to scan their surroundings and chart out maps as well as sensors. Such technology is expected to help South Korea's push in using robots for more practical roles in the future, according to the organizing committee.
Meanwhile, the world' s first Ski Robot Challenge took place last week in Hoengseong county in Gangwon province, an hour away from PyeongChang.
Eight teams from universities, institutes and private companies competed for a $10,000 prize.
Each skibot was equipped with camera sensors to detect the blue and red slalom poles positioned on the downhill course so they could turn around them on their runs.
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| A self-navigating robot cleans the carpet in the hallways of the Main Press Center for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Monday. / Korea Times photo by Kang Hyun-kyung |
Eighty-one robots are in action as well with various missions, such as serving drinks, cleaning floors, keeping the visitors updated with competition schedules, supplementary programs, the weather and tourist attractions.
The robots are divided into 11 different types depending on their jobs, including 29 conversational guide bots that give directions at stadia and the athletes' villages in PyoengChang and Gangneung.
The spectators inside the stadiums can encounter robots that resemble Soohorang the white tiger, one of the two PyeongChang Winter Games mascots.
They offer transportation and event guidance in four languages including English.
"They have become popular among visitors who often line up to take photos with them," an organizing committee official said.
Two high-tech robots capable of self-navigation are seen cleaning carpets in hallways.
At the Main Press Center (MPC) in PyeongChang, drink-serving robots that look like mini refrigerators can easily be spotted. They open flaps and reveal free bottles of water for guests after moving to designated points.
In addition to practical purposes, the high-tech robots are also used for display and entertainment.
A total of 20 robotic fish can be seen swimming inside water tanks at the MPC and the Super Store in Gangneung that sell Olympic merchandise.
They can swim in water five meters deep for up to 30 hours on a single charge and are also capable of recognizing obstacles.
Some other robots project daily news and weather on to the floor, while another group of "wall-painting" robots can create complex murals on-demand based on topics input into them.
The organizing committee introduced the robots developed by South Korea's tech firms and research institutes to show off the nation's information and communications technology.
Building robots require cameras to scan their surroundings and chart out maps as well as sensors. Such technology is expected to help South Korea's push in using robots for more practical roles in the future, according to the organizing committee.
Meanwhile, the world' s first Ski Robot Challenge took place last week in Hoengseong county in Gangwon province, an hour away from PyeongChang.
Eight teams from universities, institutes and private companies competed for a $10,000 prize.
Each skibot was equipped with camera sensors to detect the blue and red slalom poles positioned on the downhill course so they could turn around them on their runs.
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