Robots aren’t exactly taking over Cleveland City Schools, but they’re certainly capturing more than a few hearts. We got a glimpse of them at Cleveland City Middle School Thursday morning, with an encounter with a 4-foot model named Pepper.
In all, Cleveland City Schools has 8 robots for teaching students to work with artificial intelligence.
Through a state grant, the school system got the robots from the company RobotLab. They’re available at both Cleveland High and Middle School as a part of the Career and Technical Education programs this year.
Program director Renny Whittenbarger emphasized the importance of AI technology. “It is our responsibility to prepare our students with the tools they need to adapt to this dynamic technological landscape,” he said.
The robots are fully customizable and can be coded in C++, Python, Java, and simpler drag & drop programming languages. The school system says the robots will let them teach skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, and AI applications. Teachers can program the robots to move from table to table, working with students in small groups and delivering lesson plans. The robots are also able to interact with the students, speaking multiple languages, giving high fives, and having “dance parties.”
Cleveland City Schools are an affiliate of the CAPS Network in the state of Tennessee.
The original story from ABC News Channel 9 can be found here.
