Robots will replace teachers at a school in Abu Dhabi, after the Merryland International School made an investment of 500,000 Dirhams (£80,000) in 30 robots. The Humanoid AISOY Raspberry Pi robot will teach basic maths while Nao, a 57-cm tall Evolution Humanoid robot, will teach children with special needs.
Students from grade three to 12 will benefit from the new robotic lab.
Commenting on the announcement, Susheela George, the founder of the private
school, told Gulf News: "I have sourced out some of the best and most advanced robots including humanoids, quadrupeds, hexapods, flying robots and pet
robots from all over the world. Our aim is to mould future scientists, designers, engineers and leaders."
Nao can walk, talk and recognise human emotions.
The programmable robot can also be used to explore topics in robotics, computer science, and social sciences.
The school has also invested in Genibo
the robot dog which falls asleep if the students are not paying attention.
"The course will start in full swing next year after the teachers
have completed their training from Pittsburgh University in the US," said George.
George Fernandes, head of department, ICT, said the robotics lab is just
the beginning: "We plan to go a long way in making robotics science a subject of study for our students. Children can learn from scratch
the science of assembling a robot. At an advanced level, high school students will be taught how to program robots with built-in intelligence," said
Fernandes.
The robotic lab was inaugurated on August 22 by Dr. John Netting, director general of European Business Assembly (EBA), Oxford and Dr. Martin Moore-Ede and Dr. Donna Martin from Harvard University.