A school district in Western New York is set to deploy a humanoid robot in its classrooms this fall. The Salamanca City Central School District will use the robot, named Sally, to assist with instruction and provide support to teachers and students.
Robot’s Capabilities
The robot is designed to resemble a human, with silicone skin and long brown hair. It will remain seated but will be capable of a range of facial expressions and upper-body movements. Students will log in using unique ID numbers, allowing the robot to access their previous interactions and tailor its responses to each student’s learning history.
The robot’s deployment is part of a larger effort to integrate artificial intelligence into teaching. The district’s superintendent, Mark Beehler, said that many schools are taking the easy solution of simply banning AI, but he believes it is critical for schools to teach proper use of technology, not simply exclude it.
Partnership with Realbotix
The district is partnering with tech company Realbotix to provide the robot and an AI teacher’s assistant program. The company’s CEO, Andrew Kiguel, said that the deployment represents a landmark moment for both AI and humanoid robotics. He added that the robot and AI program will operate under district and teacher oversight, with education-specific safeguards in place and Realbotix will not have access to student data.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
