Chinese kindergarten welcomes robot teachers

As a tutor, the Keeko robot is becoming a phenomenon in more than 600 Chinese kindergartens. The robot has a cute and child-friendly appearance, showing its ambition to apply robots and automate the education sector in the second economy of this world.

Less than 60cm tall, the white Keeko robot has a chubby, sleek body design, with a round head equipped with directional sensors and camera recording.

At 10,000 yuan (about 1,500 USD), Keeko has the ability to tell stories and guide children to solve simple logic puzzles. When they answer correctly, Keeko can even give an encouraging response with sparkling eyes.

Children watch a Keeko robot at the Yiswind Multicultural Education Institute in Beijing.(Photo: AFP).

Manufacturers said they designed Keeko with the aim of creating a robot with a child-friendly appearance, thereby promoting interaction in the teaching process .

However, educators, even teachers at the Keeko testing facilities, believe that robots that completely replace people in teaching roles in classrooms will still be the story of the distant future.

According to expert opinion, teaching is an interactive process, exchanging information through multi-dimensional communication including eyes, expressiveness and contact, not just in the language and content that is programmed.

In China, robots are being used for delivery, making friends with the elderly, legal advice and the appearance of Keeko represent the ambition of bringing robots to education.

Keeko is currently present in more than 600 kindergartens across China and the creators of Keeko expect their products to find their place throughout the world's most populous country and reach the Southeast Asian market. .

In recent years, Beijing has invested heavily in finance and manpower to develop artificial intelligence, part of the government's "Made in China 2025" strategy. According to the International Robot Association, China is at the forefront of the number of robots used in the industry, with about 340,000 robots involved in manufacturing.

In addition, the country's service robot market is estimated to reach $ 1.32 billion in revenue last year and is expected to reach $ 4.9 billion by 2022.