FIRA RoboWorld Cup will draw attention of the world during the event since the Westfalenhallen, where FIRA Cup will be held, is right next to press center for FIFA World Cup.
The RoboWorld Cup, being held under the initiative of Korea, is intended to foster a social culture environment to realize the "One household- One Robot era" earlier than expected. The "Intelligent-model Robot" has been selected as one of Korea's most promising future growth engine industries to pave the way toward achieving the $30,000 national income era.
With the World Cup Germany 2006 coming soon, this RoboWorld Cup is expected to contribute to boosting Korea's national brand image by publicizing RoboWorld Cup's performance as well as vision for the coming years.
FIRA President Kim Jong-hwan who concurrently serves as Prof., Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences, KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology) forecasts: "This year's RoboWorld Cup will serve as a good opportunity to acquaint the world with Korea's cutting-edge robot technology, international leadership as robot soccer's popularity that holds FIRA headquarters, and further national brand as science technology power".
While the RoboWorld Cup has been held 10 times to date since it was originated at KAIST in 1995, it has established itself as a World Cup of state-of-the-art science technology field, in which around 60 member countries worldwide take part, Kim pointed out proudly.
The 11th FIRA RoboWorld Cup Germany 2006 consists of six robot soccer tournaments, namely HuroSot (Humanoid Robot Soccer Tournament), KheperaSot (Khepera Robot Soccer Tournament), MiroSot (Micro-Robot Soccer Tournament), NaroSot (Nano-Robot Soccer Tournament), RoboSot (Autonomous Robot Soccer Tournament), & SimuroSot (Simulated Robot Soccer Tournament), Int'l Edutainment Robot Exhibition, and FIRA Congress International Academic Rally over two days from June 30 through July 1, according to the FIRA president.
Strong government backing needed In particular, the president explained that when the Ubiquitous world arrives in the near future, 'Ubiquitous robots (Ubibot)' will be necessary as a 3rd generation of robotics. He defined Ubibot as a robot incorporating three forms of robots: software robot (Sobot), embeded robot (Embot) and mobile robot (Mobot), which can provide us with any services by any device through any network, at any place anytime in a ubiquitous space.
President Kim who noted that as Korea is well-equipped with IT infrastructure better than anywhere in the world, to prepare for such a ubiquitous society, Korea should strive to capture the market now for this next-generation robot technology - such as 3G robot Ubiquitous robot, 4G robot 'Genetic robot', and 5G 'Bio robot' - that other countries have not yet even attempted.
Along with the government's strategic nurturing policy, the president - who says that Korea has to take the initiative in global standardization - indicated that robot culture's spread also is important. This will make all nations feel the necessity for robot technology and perceive robots as friends.
Regarding the reason that he asserts the necessity of public robot education through Robot Olympiad etc., Kim explains that robot is a good educational item which can implant dream and hope about the future society in the younger generation.
From July, this year, a preliminary round for Robot Olympiad is scheduled to be held nationwide in centers such as Busan, Sooncheon, Cheongju, Bundang, Masan, Gangreung, and Cheonju. Kim said that if participants pass a preliminary round in which 5,000 participants took part last year, these come to participate in a nationwide round in the middle of August and a 'national team' is selected from among them. They will then take part in the International Robot Olympiad to be held in Gold Coast, Australia on Dec. 6~9, 2006.
He compares the Robot Olympiad to Computing Competition in the 90's which he believes takes important role in introducing personal PCs in each household in Korea. He is confident that introducing PC led Korea to IT country, Robot Olympiad will be the one to contribute to introduce personal robots into household in this century that leads Korea to the leading country in RT.
He stressed that he firmly believes that students who take part in 'Robot Olympiad' will become proud robot scientists of the Republic of Korea in the future by sticking to science's principles and creative mindsets.
As a suggestion for Korea's robot education, the robot veteran explained that the number of schools teaching robot technology as part of school education after school-hours, is on the rise. In addition to Robot Olympiad, students also who learn robot, are on the increase as robot events hosted by the government, a local government, private enterprise, and schools are on the rise.
In the light of the recent trend that students' interest in robot technology, is growing, today is a point of time curriculums are needed to teach more systematically and in the interest of the public, teaching materials development and teacher nurturing programs, Kim insisted.
More timely policy & creativity than Japan About Korea's technology power in connection with robot technology, the FIRA president explains that providing Korea's timely policy and creativity are bolstered such as robot development which utilized IT network foothold and strong policy support, it is possible for Korea to catch up with Japan though Japan is boast of the highest level globally in terms of robot technology and its commercialization as a suzerain state of robot industry ahead of the United States.
Since foreign journals also like the New York Times are reporting that Korea is going to a country where science fiction becomes a reality and Korea in which wireless telecommunication is most developed in the world, is preparing robot revolution, it seems to be not distant for Korea to assume leadership of world robot market ahead of Japan, he said.
The New York Times has recently reported on April 2, this year that robots for households that teach English and songs to children, robots to guide customers at a post office, and Intelligence robot like a robot for prevention of crimes, are scheduled to be commercialized in Korea from next year. By quoting MIC (The Ministry of Information & Communication, Republic of Korea) prediction materials, the newspaper also introduced that such intelligence robots will be popularized in every households of Korea during the period of 2015~2020.
Compared with Japan, IT network-based robot's commercialization is close already at hand for us such as Ubibot (Ubiquitous robot) which can provide users with discretional service anytime, anywhere and with any equipment as well, Kim notes. In a nutshell, Ubiquitous robots are an integrated form's robot of Sobot (Software robot), Embot (Embedded robot), and Mobot (Mobile robot).
On the initiative of the government, moreover national robot below 1 million won (around $1,050) level is planning to be introduced within the forthcoming October, this year in Korea. The FIRA president said that national robot's success possibility is high in Korea because it is easy to apply intelligence robot in Korea and furthermore Korea is equipping with the highest level's Internet infra globally.
He predicted that our creative power and ability to react instantly will get more force in next generation robot development too such as 4G Genetic robot and 5G Bio robot.
Focusing on next-generation robot development To catch up with Japan by investing intensively, Kim underlines that robot industry's infra construction, nurturing robot talent and to spread robot culture are very important. In that regard, he is proud of the fact that robot soccer has been helping promote national interest in robot and educate it at home and playing a role to acquaint foreign countries with Korea's robot technology from the external standpoint as well.
It is said that screen-dealing, stable telecommunication technology, strategic software technology, intelligence control, sensor technology, etc. are all embedded in a small robot that does robot soccer and currently, domestic companies are exporting it much for the purpose of education by commercializing.
With this year's 11th FIRA RoboWorld Cup Germany 2006 as an impetus, he said he expected that many more Korean-made robot export contracts will be signed.
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