As the new academic year draws closer, it was announced this week that a robot designed by a Skoltech students is to attend class in place of children whose disabilities prevent them from leaving home.
Webot in action. Photo: Skoltech
Webot, developed by Skolkovo resident Wicron - a team of Skoltech PhD students - will broadcast the face of the absent child to the teacher in the classroom, while simultaneously beaming the lecture back to pupil’s home, according to the Skoltech website.
The mobile, friendly white robot will be installed in five elementary schools in the southern Astrakhan region.
Webot‘s round head unit and long neck rotate in all directions, and the robot can follow any person – a teacher, a friend, even a first love. And if the home-ridden student wishes to answer a question, Webot will be happy to do that for them. The robot can even joke around.
“It is like an avatar, allowing kids to move around, even from a distance,” says Stas Ashmanov, a Skoltech PhD student with Professor Ivan Oseledets and managing partner of Wicron, a Moscow based startup behind Webot and smart home assistants.
“It is as if we ‘teleport’ kids from home to school. We want kids to know that even if they are in pain or limited in movement, they can still learn and grow and participate in school life. It is all about equality and opportunity for all children.”
More on the Webot initiative can be found at the Skoltech website.