In China, not only factory workers are being replaced by robots as these machines are now also recruited to help out in classrooms. Recently, there has been a growing popularity of using robots in many kindergartens across China as the country becomes one of the leading nations to develop and utilize artificial intelligence robot. The same thing is taking place in Canada, where robots are used to teach autistic children social skills.
The newly-recruited machine, called KeeKo, assists human teachers by interacting with the young children through games, songs, dance, reading, and carrying out conversations. KeeKo can also help kids learn mathematics by engaging them in some fun activities involving numbers. A Chinese news agency even posted on their Twitter account on Wednesday a video showing the robot communicating with kindergarten pupils in Xiamen, Fujian province.
According to the South China Morning Post, KeeKo the teaching robot is aimed at interacting with children aged below seven. According to Xiamen ZhiTong Technology, the company that created the robot, it has the intelligence level of a five-year-old child. It was launched last year, and now the machine has been used in some 200 kindergartens across the country, including in Beijing.
The video on Twitter described the robot as a “cute intelligent toy” that enhances children's understand with their lessons. According to the Global News, a similar robot is used to help autistic kids cope with the challenges of social life. The West Vancouver public schools name their teacher robot Milo to assist kids with Autism learn social cues.
Currently, the schools have recruited five Milos to help teach affected kids in social settings. According to the Global News, Dave Platt, an administrator with the school district, said that the robots easily draw and bring the kids in. The functions and effects of the robots are also extremely well-researched, which are designed by a speech pathologist to incorporate the best practices in terms of autism spectrum disorder research.
