In a highly technological world robots take their places in education once they finished the tasks in factories. Well, the reality is that the robots are spreading in all areas including here schools, services, and especially in factories. A growing number of educational programs include robots while the positive effects appear in time. I try to make an overview of robots designed to work as a teacher and already used in schools for different programs including here teaching a foreign language or only for interaction with children’s.

Currently is too early to think that robots can replace teachers, they can supplement them since some robots can only speak well or move around students. These mechanical teachers have a high social impact and motive children’s to teach through various games.

Used in a wide range of activities, what children think about these mechanized teachers is divided into two major categories. While some children think that the robots are fun, some are disappointed by the misunderstanding from robot side on their desires.

South Korean and Japan use primarily in schools and kindergartens robotic teachers. In this article are available a series of educational robotic teachers aiming to close the distance between robots, students and educational applications.

Nao Robot Teacher

Useful tool for interactive lessons and a good platform for programming.
Nao robot as a teacher is not a story with children and robots, is an idea that took shape and prepares the new step in the educational field especially in schools. Nao is a robot designed by Aldebaran Robotics based in France and integrate autonomous features and open-source platform for programming.

Used in Career and Technical Education Academy in Hutchinson, the company prepares the robot to be used as an interactive tool. Used in a wide range of fields including here engineering, technology, or science, the robot increase the interest of students with results that most likely will be seen in time.

One practical application where Nao could have a high impact is for example when a mathematical formula is applied. Instead applying themselves a formula, the student can work together with the robot and apply formula in a computer program.

In general the robot can be programmed for almost anything that relates to the educational field. One biggest advantage using robots in the classroom is the introduction already made in the robotics for kids who wish to go further in engineering.

Simon

Fully autonomous robot and a very good platform to develop new advanced features like imitation skills or household tasks.
Simon is a robot designed in the labs of Georgia Tech, a powerful machine with significant programmable features including here vocabulary, imitation skills, or household tasks. The robot can interface the relation between teacher and student once with integration of advanced features like learning as they teach in order to be a good informed teacher who may intervene in almost any subject.

Simon is in the development stage and for the moment is used in experimental sessions. The latest version of the robot is controlled by advanced artificial intelligence algorithms and is fully autonomous.

RUBI

RUBI is a very powerful tool for teaching foreign languages.
Imagine a robot sitting in front of a 3-year-old boy and teaching Finish by showing images on a screen. This is RUBI, a human-like robot designed by University of California to use teaching skills for children to learn foreign languages.

The robot uses a screen located in its own chest to display images of children in order to associate these with words.

RUBI need less space, something like a desktop computer since it has only two small hands, a pair of shoes, and a head where are located video cameras, microphone, and speakers.

Facial recognition technology is also included in the same small body with human facial expression feature included.

Tested in the classroom to learn Finnish, children had higher ratings compared with other sessions where interactive lessons missed.

Engkey

A combination between telepresence robot and avatar robot with English skills.
Engkey is a teacher telepresence robot on wheels with egg-based design. The robot has English skills and repeat phrases for children’s in a classroom from South Korea. The mechanical teacher was developed by Korea Institute of Science and Technology and can be controlled remotely by a human operator while his face appears on the robot screen. The distance does not matter when the operator is connected to the robot since an Internet connection is used.

Engkey was built in different version including here a version that has voice recognition capability to help student’s English pronunciation and dialogue.

Working as an avatar, the robot detects teacher motions and act according to these. If the teacher move a hand, Engkey moves also his hand.

In autonomous mode, the robot recognizes the speech and correct pronunciation if it is wrong.

Saya

Simple human-like robot controlled remotely by an operator and uses simple preprogrammed phrases.
Is not designed to replace the teacher, Saya is a robot designed to smile or scolds, drawing or talk, and all of these only with students who can enjoy the six emotions expressed using an artificial skin and motors. The robot was developed at Tokyo University of Science and has all specific features of humans.

The Saya is not an autonomous robot, is more a telepresence robot controlled remotely by an operator that can see everything happening through camera.