OMG - The New Kid In Class Is A . . . Robot!
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On February 5th, 2013, the fifth grade students at Japan's Higashihikari Elementary School welcomed a new student. However, unlike other newcomers, he was not shy and seemed to instantly recognize all 119 kids by their names. Impressed? You will be even more so, when you find out that Robovie is not human but a robot, masquerading as a fifth-grade student!
Developed by Japan's Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, the 1.2 meter (3.9 feet) tall student is part of a 14-month experiment to test if robots can gradually learn to interact naturally and assimilate with a group of people.
While the company has previously conducted several experiments in various settings, this is the longest duration by far, and is all part of their bigger vision of making robots household fixtures, previous attempts at which, have been quite unsuccessful. This time around they decided to pick a school because it allows the bot to gather and hopefully incorporate copious amounts of data from the active and curious kids around him.
And though Robovie's amazing memory may have impressed you, he does have an unfair advantage - Though his daily conversation level has been restricted to that of a five-year old in the hope that he will develop his vocabulary by interacting with the fifth graders, he was preprogrammed with the facial photos and voiceprints of all 119 fifth graders and teachers, as well as, the contents of the entire fifth grade science text book. Nonetheless, he impressed the class by answering correctly that a wound up copper wire could also be called a copper coil, prompting a fellow student to quip 'It's smarter than me'!
While still early, Robovie is doing quite well on the social front too - Not only did he acknowledge all the students in his grade but after class, also shook hands with the sixth graders and was even polite enough to answer all their questions, just like any other new student would do. But then, this is not the first time Robovie (or another version of him) has been around humans. In the past he has been assigned to many tasks including helping the elderly shop for groceries.
Resources: gizmag.com,mainichi.Jp
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885 Comments
- Ayahover 12 yearsIf I have a robot I fall happy becuase he can do my homewarek like a math that how i feala happy so much becuase he do my I stab thing to go to 4the gared and I wall not be in there'd great ane more so that way I like robot to much and I can do ane thig I want in the class like to play on the MAcbook and we are hveaing so much fun in the class to do anything avera one like robot in thy class room we can do parete an the class room to mak how we mak everyday paretay in the class room I think thy are so nice to use I like to have robot in my class room if you dont like robot you mean do now robot now you go lit your
- Fernandaover 12 yearsIfthere was a robot in the classroom I would feel happy because he can do anything that you say and I don't have to do my chores and I could feel mad if he doesn't do the things I tell him to do so I could yell at him.I could feel sad too because if he left my house I could feel sad and I could cry and I can tell people if they saw a robot and they could tell me if where my robot is and then I could feel happy and hug my robot because I mist him so much and I could cry and I could tell him the thing I saved him from last year and that I would show him the pictures that I
Mrs. Marshover 12 yearsWhat a great response! I can really see that you put some thought, time, and effort into it!
- Rileyover 12 yearsI think it would be cool to have a robot in our classroom. Other people would say he would destroy everything but I will love them forever.
- Nathanielover 12 yearsI will feel amazed and creeped.
- Rylanover 12 yearsIt would cool to have a robot in our classroom he would problely help us with 3 computer . I would feel good if had a robot in our classroom.
- Liamover 12 yearsThis would be so exciting if it was me! I wish I was in Japan and in 5th grade.Can I skip two grades ,please, Mrs Marsh? And can I have a ride to this school?
- Mrs. Marshover 12 yearsI wish Liam! Only if I can be the teacher in that 5th grade classroom.
- Jay Jayover 12 yearsO...M...G
- Pavelover 12 yearsI would feel great if I had a robot in my class.I would be delighted because he could be my friend.I would also be delighted because we could be partners.Q
- Tatyannaover 12 yearsI would be scared because what if it turned in to a evil robot?!?!?!?!?!?
- ?over 12 yearsCOOL