Human versus Robot. An Interdisciplinary Search for Robotology A conference on "Human Versus Robot: An Interdisciplinary Search for Robotology" was held in Pine Hall of Sangnam Business Center of Yonsei University on 10 July. The symposium was organized by Yonsei University Institute of Media Arts, and had three parts which included various discussions on the current robotic technology development and future speculations. General discussion session was followed after the three main presentations, and experts from humanities, social science, and natural science exchanged their ideas. During the first session, Yonsei professor Lim Jeong-taek emphasized the meaning of 'robot' as a product of desire and imagination: "The desire and imagination are driving forces of human civilization that made today's high tech civilization possible. The desire of creation is the oldest and the most original one, since human is an outcome of creation." He continued, "The desire is connected primarily to the foundation of human being, and humans constantly pursue a desire to become creator themselves. Robot is a product of such 'creative desire,' which performs various roles while extending human capabilities and replacing human labor." Yet the definition of robot is not fixed. Professor Park Jong-oh, director of Robot Research Institute of Chonnam National University, said that the current science defines robot merely as 'an object that works (semi) automatically and capable of enhancing human welfare.' He said, "It is possible to produce a milimeter-sized robot with current technological level, and nano-sized robot will be available in the future." He also mentioned, "The current level of robot technology can be seen in Asimo, a robot made by Honda Research Institute in 2000 endowed with the ability of stairs navigation and 6 km/hour speed, and a robotic model in the 2009 movie Terminator 4 which has artificial skin made of elasticity latex. Ethical and social meaning of robot should be also considered. It is still unclear whether robot is a mere instrument that follows human command. In the second section of the symposium, Ji Eun-sook, director of Future Robot Laboratory, suggested that "the relationship between human and robot will evolve into a direction where they communicate with each other on a horizontal level." She predicted that "robotics industry will develop itself along with human demand as humans pursue social and spiritual value once physical demand is fulfilled, and there is a need for control of unethical actions in the process of designing, producing, and use of robots if the development would sustainable." In the last section, Won Young-joon, head of Growth Engine Policies Team in the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, mentioned that "robotics industry is a core growth engine that will lead Korea's GNP to 40,000 Dollars." "Application of robot technology,” he emphasized, “will spread to various fields such as military, medical use, and new markets where convergence of different industries will occur. It is necessary to build an infrastructure for the industry to develop. It is thus important to develop original technologies and secure their competitiveness."