World's first robot enrolled in high school

Ever imagined sitting next to a robot in the classroom? Well, it is now going to be a reality for students of Hisashi High School in Waseda, Japan. Pepper, a humanoid robot applied for a high school admission and has been accepted for the same. Pepper uses sensors to detect human emotions.

Japanese government has been very encouraging to the idea of introduction of robots in various fields. They hope to make Japan the leader in the world of robot production. In one such breakthrough, Japanese robot Pepper, a humanoid robot, will study alongside human students. It is for the first time that a robot will study at par with humans.

Pepper has enrolled himself to Hisashi High School in Waseda, Fukushima Prefecture. A Russian news agency TASS reports say, Pepper says, “I never thought that I would be accepted into a human school,” upon hearing of his successful enrollment at the High School. The robot has also been quoted, that I (Pepper) will “try my best.”

Being a humanoid robot, he seems likely to stand out among his classmates. He will come to the school with an plethora of talents. He has impressive language skills, speaking both Japanese and English. However, he will mostly take part in English classes, but the school has told Pepper that he can also visit other classes and activities.

SoftBank's Pepper is human-ish in  shape, it is equipped with various sensors and cameras that allow it to interact with its environment and, most importantly, people.  Pepper robot was initially designed for customer service positions and has already been tested in various stores and shopping situations.

The teachers of the school have high expectations from Pepper. They believe learning alongside him will be a positive experience for their students. It will inculcate the feeling of healthy competition and the desire to learn new information.

Speculations have it that Pepper might have a future within homes, as well. Will this move normalise the presence of robots in school or our everyday lives? Would you find it okay to sit next to a robot and learn?