Disneyland? Meh. Universal Studios? Been there, done that. Robot Land? Now, we're talking.
For years now, there has been talk in South Korea about a robot theme park. Construction was supposed to start in 2009, but it never happened. (Heck, several years ago, I spent some time in South Korea talking to researchers about it for a magazine article.) There was a website and lots of talk, but construction never started. Until now.
Recently, the park held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction. That means Robot Land is really happening. Or rather, building Robot Land is really happening! Above, you can see an image from the ceremony.
Located in Incheon, Robot Land will have exhibitions and rides, a waterpark, a shopping area, an R&D center, a post-grad robotics school, and a robotics institute. Sprawling 8.1 million square feet, there will be a "Robot Kingdom," a "Robot City," and a "Kidbot Village." It's supposed to look something like this:
Robot Land will cost US$700 million to complete and is slated to open between 2015 and 2016. Hey, Rome wasn't built in a day, and Robot Land won't be either.
인천로봇랜드 착공식 열려 [Korea Kimac@YouTube Thanks, Sang!]
Photos: Robot Land
To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft.
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
More...
For years now, there has been talk in South Korea about a robot theme park. Construction was supposed to start in 2009, but it never happened. (Heck, several years ago, I spent some time in South Korea talking to researchers about it for a magazine article.) There was a website and lots of talk, but construction never started. Until now.
Recently, the park held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction. That means Robot Land is really happening. Or rather, building Robot Land is really happening! Above, you can see an image from the ceremony.
Located in Incheon, Robot Land will have exhibitions and rides, a waterpark, a shopping area, an R&D center, a post-grad robotics school, and a robotics institute. Sprawling 8.1 million square feet, there will be a "Robot Kingdom," a "Robot City," and a "Kidbot Village." It's supposed to look something like this:
Robot Land will cost US$700 million to complete and is slated to open between 2015 and 2016. Hey, Rome wasn't built in a day, and Robot Land won't be either.
인천로봇랜드 착공식 열려 [Korea Kimac@YouTube Thanks, Sang!]
Photos: Robot Land
To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft.
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
More...
