PREVIEW

BY MARK WORGAN

Robot teaching assistants are coming to New York’s schools as part of a new trial programme.

The initiative, launched by Realbotix Corp, is being rolled out at Salamanca City Central School District on the Seneca Nation Reservation in New York State. It combines the company's AI-powered educational platform, Optio, with the deployment of a humanoid robot designed to interact with pupils in the classroom.

Optio has been developed as an AI teaching assistant and at-home tutor, providing personalised educational support to students both during and outside school hours. The platform uses customised avatars trained on district-specific curriculum materials and is designed to offer tutoring, homework assistance and concept reinforcement in multiple languages.

The pilot programme also includes the introduction of a Realbotix M-Series humanoid robot, capable of engaging in natural conversation, displaying facial expressions and responding to pupils in real time.

Andrew Kiguel, Chief Executive of Realbotix, said: “This deployment in a working school district represents a landmark moment for both AI and humanoid robotics.

“We are moving beyond lab demonstrations and pilots to deliver real, embodied AI directly into classrooms - supporting teachers, engaging students, and proving that advanced robotics can thrive in live educational environments. Salamanca marks the beginning of a new era where humanoid robots and intelligent AI assistants become standard tools in STEM education.”

The company said the robot is intended to encourage participation in lessons while introducing students to emerging technologies.
Salamanca City Central School District is part of the Woz ED STEM Pathway programme, founded by technology entrepreneur Steve Wozniak to help prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Initially, Optio will be used by pupils studying Woz ED artificial intelligence and robotics courses at high school level. The district plans to expand access to around 500 secondary school students during the autumn term.

School leaders said feedback from both teachers and pupils would be used to refine the platform as the trial progresses.

Dr Mark Beehler, Superintendent of Salamanca City Central School District, said: “Salamanca Schools are excited to partner with Realbotix to provide our students with a safe, Salamanca-specific AI tutor and our educators with customized AI tools.

“Schools have faced challenges with the rapid proliferation of AI and the potential for misuse by students. Working with Realbotix, we now have a powerful solution that will not replace student learning or our valued educators but instead serves as an additional custom resource to enhance learning outcomes and increase the efficiency of educators’ planning and lesson development.”

According to Realbotix, the system incorporates education-focused safeguards designed to prevent inappropriate responses and reduce the risk of inaccurate information being provided to students. The company said the platform operates under school district oversight and is intended to complement, rather than replace, teachers.

The Salamanca project forms part of Realbotix's wider strategy to introduce AI-powered educational tools into schools. The company said it plans to assess the programme's impact on student engagement, academic understanding and teacher workload.

The results of the pilot will be used to evaluate whether similar systems could be deployed more widely across other school districts and STEM-focused educational institutions.