14 DAY TRIAL // When it comes to robots, so far, Asia rules. They're a few generations over the Americans and a century over any other competitor in the field. Sony's AIBO was the first robot dog to recognize words and objects, and Honda's ASIMO is the first humanoid robot that can walk on two feet in a manner resembling human locomotion at up to 6 km/h (3.7 mph).
A South Korean company developed a robot that will be master of ceremonies at a wedding this weekend. The creators of this robot say it is the first time a robot has been used as master of ceremonies for a wedding.
Tiro is the name of the robot, made by Hanool Robotics, which will assist at the civil ceremony for Seok Gyeong-Jae, one of the engineers who designed it, and his bride on Sunday at Daejeon, 130 kilometers (78 miles) south of Seoul.
They didn't say if Tiro is going to be the "life" of the after party, but as soon as its marital duties are completed, "Tiro will be upgraded so that it can be used for various purposes," said Hanool official Kim Dae-Hyun.
The $215,000 robot will speak in a sweet female voice, and will be accompanied by other robots, that will be used to guide guests or give performances at the wedding ceremony.
It seems South Koreans are very fond of robots, since only last month, a robot called OFRO was declared ready for deployment as a school security guard in what was also claimed as a world's first, and last September, government officials unveiled a high-tech, machine gun-toting sentry robot that could support troops along the heavily fortified border with North Korea.
Soon, robotic applications like those seen in the "iRobot" movie will become a reality, as future robots could take over some human professions, like low tech construction workers, medical nurses, or, why not, professional wrestlers.