Robot teachers read stories to pre-schoolers in hi-tech trial

[yuiyoshida]

Singapore---

Call them the new breed of pre-school teachers.

They are infinitely patient - they will repeat their questions as many times as required. Nor are they likely to scold - even if they are poked or prodded by curious children.

Meet Pepper and NAO, two humanoid robots who have been helping out in two pre-schools here, under a six-month trial to see how robots can be used to teach children in interactive ways.

Pepper, a 1.2m humanoid robot with a touchscreen on its chest, has been reading stories like The Tortoise And The Hare to pupils at My First Skool Jurong Point.

NAO, who is half of Pepper's height, has been interacting with pre-schoolers from MY World at Bukit Panjang by telling stories too and even dancing.

http://news.asiaone.com/news/education/robot-teachers-read-stories-pre-schoolers-hi-tech-trial

[Jester Messiah]

1. I'm usually all for tech, but that's creepy. n/t

[Marrah_G]

2. I think that is an extremely bad idea

Young children need tone and facial expressions to develop properly. They need real human interaction.

[HughBeaumont]

3. There's more than a few here and elsewhere that embrace this future.

They see no problem with reducing a sacred and crucial profession to something as one-note as a self-checkout kiosk at Target.

As I said before, search me how anyone lives, buys products or retires in a dystopian post-human worker economy, but I guess that's all figured out for us, right?

[The2ndWheel]

6. It's cute that you're trying to

justify your existence.

[Marrah_G]

7. I have no idea what you are trying to say

[The2ndWheel]

8. I'm saying robots are going to take over

Then they'll eventually build robot children who don't need tones and expressions.

[Marrah_G]

9. You just might be right about that!

[Odin2005]

14. Kids need interaction with other human beings.

Learning is not just about the memorization of facts.

[The2ndWheel]

17. I know, but it doesn't matter

Humans are too inefficient to keep leaving so much in our hands. Teachers being biased in certain ways. Parents wanting their own insane ramblings taught to their child instead. Children having to learn things, and maybe not getting it no matter how or what you teach them. Nobody wants to put up with any of that. If we can, we'll make ourselves unnecessary.

[KamaAina]

4. Those are not robots, dammit! They are androids!

Androids are built to resemble people. Robots are not. R2D2 = robot. C3PO = android.

[KamaAina]

5. What's next? Robot maids?

[Chellee]

11. Android maids.

[KamaAina]

12. "Rosie the Robot" would have had to be "Annie the Android".

[hunter]

10. So we can send human teachers to work in the robot factories???

[Odin2005]

13. Anyone who has taken a child psychology class knows why this is a terrible idea.

[treestar]

16. LOL!