In this blog post, I’ll explore why people feel compassion and discomfort when they see someone hitting or kicking a robot, and discuss how we should think about ethical standards for treating robots in comparison to our ethical feelings toward animals.   How is kicking a robot—which is neither human nor animal—any different from kicking a soccer ball? Even though we may think of them as...

In this blog post, we’ll examine the evolution of speech recognition and synthesis technologies and explore the challenges robots must overcome to understand human speech and engage in natural conversation.   “I’m sorry, Dave. Unfortunately, I cannot carry out that command.” Anyone who has seen Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ will likely remember this line...

In this blog post, we’ll examine the journey of drones—which were originally developed for military use—to their current applications across various fields, as well as how they work, their utility, and the technical and social challenges that need to be addressed in the future.   Recently, the global logistics company Amazon announced plans to implement drone-based deliveries. The plan is to...

In this blog post, we’ll examine how the size and shape of the pupil are regulated, how the pupil’s shape affects the light entering the eye, and, as a result, how the pupil’s shape contributes to an animal’s survival.   Animals gather visual information through their eyes. In particular, the pupil and iris—which are responsible for the first stage of visual information processing—play...

In this blog post, we’ll examine the positive effects and ethical issues surrounding animal cloning and consider the direction in which animal cloning research should proceed.   Long ago, Dr. Ian Wilmut of the Roslin Institute in Scotland introduced “Dolly,” the world’s first animal cloned from a somatic cell, to the world. Since then, South Korea has also succeeded in animal cloning...

In this blog post, we will examine the concept and value of the urban mining industry—which recovers metals and rare resources from electronic waste—as well as the current state of the industry in South Korea and the challenges that lie ahead.   The urban mining industry (hereinafter referred to as “urban mining”) refers to the industry that recovers and recycles resources from various types...

In this blog post, we’ll explore the meaning and value of data mining—one of the leading methods for analyzing big data—as well as its real-world applications and limitations.   The term “big data” has been circulating everywhere for quite some time. A good example of big data’s popularity is that, at one point, a Google search for “Big data” returned approximately 280 million results. Does...

In this blog post, I will examine the influence major entertainment agencies wield in the popular music market and the process by which idol culture has taken shape, and assess how this industry structure might negatively impact the diversity and qualitative development of popular music.   Idol culture is one of the cultural phenomena with a massive ripple effect on the public. One can truly...

In this blog post, we’ll examine how South Korea’s tiered residential electricity rate system currently operates, how heat waves and the use of air conditioning units affect household electricity bills, and whether the complete abolition of the tiered system in 2026 is truly the best solution.   Recently, as summer heat waves have become more frequent in South Korea, the use of air...

In this blog post, I’ll examine various arguments made in defense of TV personality Noh Hong-chul’s 2014 DUI incident and consider why drunk driving cannot be taken lightly simply because the distance driven was short or no accident occurred.   On November 7, 2014, at approximately 11:55 p.m., TV personality Noh Hong-chul was caught in a DUI checkpoint while driving his Mercedes-Benz Smart...