A Snapshot Of The Future? Meet India’s First Saree-Clad AI Robot Teacher Iris

In a story published in 1951, Isaac Asimov explored the idea of robots teaching students far into the future. While the short story was set in 2157, it seems that a school in Kerala has already taken a step towards a seamless AI-powered classroom with a robot teacher.

Thiruvananthapuram-based KTCT Higher Secondary School is now home to a GenAI-powered saree-clad robot teacher, called Iris. The brainchild behind this robot is Kochi-based edtech startup, Makerlabs. 

The startup, which operates at the intersection of innovation and education, claims that Iris is the world’s first robot teacher designed specifically to foster STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) basics in high school students. It can also be deployed to disseminate text-to-speech lessons in three languages.

“Iris embodies our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, inspiring confidence in more groundbreaking innovations to come,” the startup said in an Instagram post. 

The AI teacher runs on a dedicated Intel processor and performs manoeuvring tasks powered by a co-processor. The processors allow it to interact with students based on their motions and acknowledge simple gestures like raising a hand or standing up in a classroom. 

Iris has a voice-controlled assistant which helps it respond to student queries and provide detailed explanations on the basis of questions asked by a student. These responses come from a speaker unit that garlands the neck of the teacher. 

It utilises its AI abilities to engage each student with a specifically tailored teaching approach. In simpler words, the teacher will teach students lessons in a personalised way, so that each individual in the classroom can understand more easily. 

This is further underscored by its interactive learning features such as quizzes, personalised dialogue generation, among others. However, if the classroom is “noisy”, the teacher won’t speak at all. This is its bid to instil some discipline in the students. 

The robot can also hold objects, perform demonstrations of experiments, and provide a hands-on learning experience. Set atop a four-wheel chassis, the teacher can also freely move around the class. 

It is pertinent to note that Iris isn’t the only AI-led innovation bolstering the education system in Kerala. Last year in August, Thiruvananthapuram’s Santhigiri Vidhyabhavan gave its school curriculum an AI touch by using the new emerging technology to boost the learning experiences of students. 

The school has also deployed machine learning, natural language processing and data analysis into several aspects of education, including school curriculum design, personalised assessment, learning and student support.

With Kerala schools getting the ball rolling, AI is expected to gradually become a prominent part of India’s primary education system. Besides education, AI has also seen rapid adoption by businesses and enterprises across sectors in recent times. 

According to Inc42’s ‘India’s Generative AI Startup Landscape, 2023’ report, the country’s GenAI market is expected to surpass the $17 Bn mark by 2030 from $1.1 Bn in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 48%.

In December, Minister of State (MoS) for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the Centre aims to fund and support AI startups in the country. The government subsequently approved the IndiaAI Mission with an allocation of INR 10,372 Cr.

Commerce minister Piyush Goyal said that the funds will also be utilised to create a marketplace for AI in India to bring startups, academia and other stakeholders in one place.