South Korean Schools Get Robot Teachers

A group of 30 egg-shaped robots have started teaching English at primary schools in South Korea, reports The Daily Mail. Developed by the Korea Institute of Science of Technology, these machines are 3.3ft high and have a TV panel that displays a female Caucasian face. The robots can wheel around the classroom while speaking to the students and can even read books and dance to music moving their head and arms. However, they are not autonomous human beings, but controlled with a remote by English teachers living in the Philippines, who can see and hear the children via a remote control system. Cameras detect the teachers facial expressions and reflect them on the avatar's face. They cost £5,600 each and will provide extra support for teachers, not replace them