Humanoid robot to begin teaching in US school for the first time

The Salamanca City Central School District in New York, USA, is set to become one of the first educational institutions in the country to integrate a humanoid robot into the classroom. School officials stated that the AI-equipped “Sally” robot will begin working as a teacher's assistant for high school students starting in September 2026.

The robot, valued at $57,000, is being brought to the school as part of a pilot project in partnership with the Las Vegas-based Realbotix Corporation company.

“Sally” will have brown hair and latex skin, giving her a human-like appearance. She can move her arms and fingers, but cannot walk independently around the classroom as she lacks legs.

School District Superintendent Dr. Mark Beehler noted that while the project is exciting, it also carries a certain level of responsibility.

He stated that any innovation in education initially sparks debate. In the past, there were those who opposed the introduction of email or the internet in schools. Now, artificial intelligence is becoming the next stage of the education system, and this technology is already being used in many schools.

In the initial phase, “Sally” will work only with 11th and 12th-grade students at Salamanca High School. The robot will assist teachers by participating in lessons on programming, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

To make the robot more relatable to students, school officials announced that it will be given a Western New York accent. The administration jokingly remarked that they consider this voice to be completely natural and neutral.

“Sally” will be used in subjects within the Woz Ed educational program, which was developed with the participation of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Currently, she will only serve in coding, robotics, and AI classes.

The school administration emphasized that the robot will never replace teachers.

“The Realbotix educational robot will never replace teachers, staff, or human interaction. It serves only as an additional teaching tool for educators, helping to increase student engagement and improve the mastery of lesson materials,” the official statement said.

Additionally, the robot operates on a closed, offline AI system. It does not provide students with ready-made answers; instead, it encourages independent thinking through various questions and prompts, helping them demonstrate their understanding of the topic.

School officials noted that “Sally” does not collect any personal data, does not record video or audio, and does not transmit any information to Realbotix.

For reference, the company’s more advanced F-Series model costs $125,000. It can stand independently on two legs, but still requires a wheeled platform for movement.