South Korea Is Building a 600 Million Dollar “Robot Land”
AKA: the future!
After years in development, South Korea’s robot theme park Robot Land finally broke ground last month. And you thought the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was cool.
In development by Korea’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy since 2007, the six hundred million dollar project in Incheon, South Korea, is expected to be open for visitors by 2018.
If the park receives its projected 2.8 million expected annual parkgoers, it would obviously increase South Korea’s tourism industry while showcasing the country’s work in robotics.
An article published in the LA Times in 2011 when the park was still in the early stages of concept development foresees a simultaneously horrifying, impressive and self aware theme park experience.
The designs show that the park is being divided into four areas (Robot Kingdom, Kidbot Village, Robotopia, and Fun City) and featuring:
- A 365 foot robot statue/viewing tower
- An enormous glass pyramid
- A “Robotland” sign in the Incheon hills
- a roller coaster that goes underwater
- a giant ferris wheel
- an aquarium where visitors can control robotic fish
- a robot arena where robots would engage in Real Steel-like combat
- and restaurants with robot waiters programmed to give performances
It also planned to display movie sets from robocentric films such as Minority Report and I, Robot, as well as have a “Robot Character Hall” with robots from Star Wars, Transformers and Astroboy that would also showcase new models in development by Korean companies.
Right now the resurgence of buzz around Robot Land has a lot fewer specifics than were available back in 2011, when construction was originally set to begin. The delay was rumored to have been caused by an environmental impact review, and we can only hope that the hubris of the original plans will remain intact when it’s finally completed. So go ahead and buy those four-year in advance tickets to South Korea and get your kidbots excited for a trip to Robotopia, folks!
(via IEEE Spectrum and LA Times, image via Addrox Karpenkopf)
- Robots being developed with a sense of smell
- Korean Batman wears a gold suit and fires lasers from his fingers
- Robots are studying us, mimicking our movements
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