South Korean baseball team replaces its human fans with robot ones

A baseball team in South Korea has come up with a new way for fans who can’t make it to a game to still be able to enjoy it: robots. Fans of the Hanwha Eagles can now show their support from home by having a robot stand in for them, according to BBC News. They can use the Internet to control robots in the stands that hold displays showing their faces. The robots have the ability to cheer, chant, and even perform the Mexican wave.

A struggling Korean baseball team have invented a novel way to improve atmosphere at their matches – by bringing in a crowd of robot fans. Hanwha Eagles supporters not able to get to the stadium can control the robot over the internet. The bots can cheer, chant and perform a Mexican wave – but presumably not invade the pitch. One expert said giving more fans a chance to “attend” was important for professional clubs. This was especially the case with top football teams, Matt Cutler, editor of SportBusiness International, told the BBC. “If you look at all the big clubs, you can’t just get a season ticket – you have to sit on a waiting list. “There is also potential monetisation. You can charge, even if it’s a small amount, to give fans a different kind of viewpoint.” Football fan John Hemmingham, who runs the famous England supporters brass band, saw the funny side. “What happens if a robotic fan misbehaves?” he joked.