Humanoid Robots to Join Classrooms in Upstate New York
A school district in upstate New York has announced plans to introduce humanoid robots into classrooms this fall. This initiative aims to explore how artificial intelligence can play a role in education.
The Salamanca City Central School District, located in western New York, will introduce these robots not to replace teachers but to support both educators and students. This was reported by Syracuse.com, noting that during a recent board meeting, the Cattaraugus County School District revealed its plans to purchase a robot along with an AI teacher assistant program, created by the tech company Realbotix.
“This is a breakthrough for AI and humanoid robotics,” remarked Andrew Kiguel, CEO of Realbotix. He believes that Salamanca is paving the way for an era where humanoid robots and intelligent AI will be commonplace in STEM education.
The robot, named Sally, is designed to have human-like features, with silicone skin and long brown hair. While seated, it can express emotions through various facial expressions and move its upper body
Students will log in using unique ID numbers, enabling the robot to access previous interactions and tailor its responses based on their individual learning histories. For instance, it can recognize students and build on past class discussions.
Salamanca Superintendent Mark Beeler mentioned that the district aims to incorporate AI into daily learning. “Instead of banning technology—which many schools opt for—it’s essential to teach students how to use it appropriately,” he stated.
Kiguel explained that the humanoid robots and AI assistants being developed for Salamanca are unique and tailored specifically for educational environments. These tools will operate under strict safeguards, supervised by teachers and the school district, ensuring Realbotix won’t have access to any student data.
The partnership with the Salamanca School District emphasizes a commitment to innovative education. With hands-on interaction being a key aspect of learning robotics and coding, Kiguel expressed gratitude for this collaboration, highlighting the importance of student engagement along with safety and privacy protections.
