KIST working on better robotic wrists

While robots are still a long way off from replicating the exact movements of the human body (we’ve always wondered why should robots follow the human body instead of branching out on their own?), they are certainly getting closer and closer to their goal. Researchers at KIST are currently working on developing better arms and wrists for their household service robot known as the Mahru-Z, as part of a new pilot project that intends to expand Korea’s domestic robot market. The project will take up to three years with an estimated total budget of $89 million. Unless we can see better fruits from such investments (a robot with human-like wrists for exhibition purposes, yay!), don’t you think that all those investment money could be better spent elsewhere eradicating diseases and hunger?