Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Japan Robot Teacher, Miss Annie Droid



Saya the teacher doesn't mind being poked or pinched, or if the students play in class: she's an android designed to show children that science and technology can be fun subjects.Saya, a life-like female who started her career as a robot receptionist at Japanese companies and was then re-programmed to teach, gave a lesson to fifth-graders at Tokyo's Kudan Elementary School after being carried to the podium. Professor Hiroshi Kobayashi of Tokyo University of Science, who built Saya, says she's not meant to replace human teachers, just to highlight the joys of technology. He also said, "We are not looking at making something that will take over from teachers, but rather our main reason for building this robot is to use new technology to teach children about technology”. It's so much more fun than regular classes," said 10-year-old Nanako Iijima. The children's human teacher, however, was not as impressed with the robot as her students.

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