LG ELECTRONICS last month launched its first-ever automatic cleaner, the Roboking.

According to the Korean maker, it has already filed a total of 65 patents for Roboking and will file 35 more. It is now starting to sell the robot cleaner on a reservation basis at a retail price of 2.99 million Won [1,537 [pounds sterling]).

LG said its foray into the robot cleaning market was spurred by its "perceived need of homemakers, who spend a monthly average of more than 15 hours cleaning, for cleaners that do not require the manipulation of the user".

LG revealed it is to develop and market a second-generation robot cleaner that can be linked to mobile devices such as cellular phones for home security, and to a new-concept mobile home network server.

A spokesman for LG UK told ERT Weekly that there are currently no plans to bring the Roboking to the UK market.

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