Robotic Education

How Close Are We To Automated Education With Robots In The Classroom?

Seldon’s prediction was based on his belief that machines will be developed shortly to read social signs from kids significantly more effectively than humans. Robo-teachers would provide extremely efficient learning at the learner’s natural pace and challenge, adapting swiftly to unique learning styles and personalising the education system to each student. Seldon thinks that “the impact is likely to be huge” with human teachers serving as overseers and pastoral care providers.

A fully automated instructor is still a long way from the current educational system, and that doesn’t imply that robotic technologies weren’t being used in the classroom in 2018. When we look at the potential benefits of automated technology in various applications from around the world today, it’s clear to see how it will affect education.

Prior’s Court is a court in New York City.

Prior’s Court is a school in the United Kingdom for autistic children and young adults. Steve, a robotic teaching assistant, has been a part of the university since 2016. Steve assists the youngsters at Prior’s Court in developing social skills and gaining access to education that would otherwise be impossible to obtain with a human teacher. Sue Piper, Prior’s Court’s Director of Education, explains:

“Autism makes it difficult for many young people to relate to others, and it can be tough to look at an adult and follow their directions. They are, however, at ease interacting with the robot, making eye contact with it and responding to its commands, making it an important tool for helping them develop social skills and learning.”

More information about Steve the robot and the school’s successful funding appeal for a second robot may be found here.

Cranleigh Abu Dhabi School is a boarding school in Abu Dhabi.

Robots in the classroom are also helping mainstream schools. Moalem, a robotic arm designed to assist pupils in learning and practising handwriting, is being used at an Abu Dhabi school for the first time. The automated handwriting instructor arm provides visual and haptic feedback as pupils make letters. The arm moves to form the note on the screen below after the child grasps the associated pen and reads the letter aloud. However, the developers promptly discovered a flaw. Students allowed their writing to be guided by the cell rather than concentrating on what they were doing. Three levels of focus and three different learning styles were incorporated using haptic and visual feedback to maintain concentration on the work at hand.

Michigan State University is a public university in the state of Michigan.

Meanwhile, the older students are getting their hands on cutting-edge technology in the classroom. The Michigan State University School of Education Design Studio constructed self-balancing robots with attached live feeds of distance students to bring remote learners into the school. The displays move about the room under the control of the pupils and have lately been shown to have a substantial impact on how they learn. A sense of inclusion in the class and physical presence in the room leads to a greater understanding of belonging and agency.

Isolation is not required.

No Isolation is a Norwegian firm that offers a similar service to children who are too sick for school. A robot sits in the classroom and transmits a video feed and interactive options to a student at home. Students can choose whether they want to participate in the learning process by answering questions. They can even select a whisper mode so that only students in the robot’s immediate vicinity can hear them communicate. Swipe the screen of the smart device they’re using from left to right, and AV1’s head will turn-in response, giving them a full view of the classroom.

Classrooms are already bigger and more engaging than ever before, thanks to the proliferation of iPods and virtual and augmented reality technologies. It is apparent that as technology advances, uses and applications in education and development will emerge. It remains to be seen whether this will result in Seldon’s monopoly on robot-teachers. Before we go into such a foreign scenario, there are many ethical and practical considerations to address. For the time being, though, it’s safe to say that robots are proving to be extremely valuable assets in classrooms worldwide through specialised duties and applications — and the advantages they may provide to students who would otherwise be denied an education cannot be overstated.