Robot Teacher Conducts First Class in Tokyo School

[KnoxvilleDoula]

Robot teacher conducts first class in Tokyo school

A robot schoolteacher developed by Japanese scientists has taken a class in a Tokyo school.

 

By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo
Last Updated: 9:36AM BST 12 May 2009

Saya, a humanoid robot is touched by school pupils as she takes on a role as a school teacher at an elementary school in Tokyo Photo: REUTERS

Saya, the female humanoid robot, taught a science and technology lesson to a class of 10-year-old pupils at Kudan Elementary School in Tokyo.

With her neat brown hair, pink lipstick and skirt suit, the robot, created by scientists at Tokyo University of Science, has been designed to resemble as human a form as possible.

 

Using a range of programmed movements from eyebrow arching to smiling, her face is capable of expressing six basic emotions in the classroom - surprise, fear, disgust, anger, happiness and sadness.

While Saya's creator Professor Hiroshi Kobayashi said the robot's main purpose was to highlight the joys of technology to children, he also said it would benefit schools suffering from a shortage of human teachers.

"In the countryside and in some small schools, there are children who do not have the opportunity to come into contact with new technology and also there are few teachers out there that can teach these lessons," said Professor Kobayashi.

"So we hope to be able to develop this robot so it can be remotely controlled to teach these classes."

Saya was initially created to work as a receptionist in Japanese companies five years ago but was recently reprogrammed by scientists into its latest incarnation as a schoolteacher.

[julie.r0cks]

May. 12, 2009 at 3:23 PM

hell no. robots freak me out!

[sherriet]

May. 12, 2009 at 6:23 PM

Wow!

[Ladyhawke]

May. 13, 2009 at 3:37 PM

There is no way a robot can express emotion as a human can do. As if those poor kids weren't pressured enough already now they have to turn to a machine to learn? I predict the suicide rate among Japan's teens (the highest in the world) will rise even more.