A school district is beginning to pilot the introduction of humanoid robot teachers and AI assistants into educational settings.
The Salamanca school district in Catalaugas County, New York, has announced that it will introduce humanoid robots into its educational settings starting in the fall of 2026. These robots are not intended to replace teachers, but rather to provide learning support to both students and teachers.
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In June 2026, the board of directors of Salamanca, Catalagas County, New York, signed an agreement to purchase humanoid robots from Realbotix . This will bring Realbotix humanoid robots to schools in Salamanca. In addition, students' laptops will be equipped with an AI-powered teacher assistant program that allows them to interact with humanoid robot avatars.
Andrew Kigel, CEO of Realbotix, said, 'Bringing this robot into a real school district is a groundbreaking event for both AI and humanoid robots. Salamanca marks the beginning of a new era where humanoid robots and intelligent AI assistants become standard tools in STEM education .'
The humanoid robot being introduced in educational settings in Salamanca is a female robot named 'Sally.' She has silicone skin and long brown hair, and is said to look very much like a real human. She operates while remaining stationary in a seated position, but she can move her upper body and display a wide range of facial expressions.
Students use a unique identification code when interacting with Sally during class. Sally then accesses their learning data to check 'past interactions between students and the AI assistant program.' Based on this data, she can provide personalized support to each individual.
According to CEO Kigel, students can simply say to Sally, 'Hi, I'm student number 1234,' and she will respond with something like, 'Hi, we were talking about [specific topic] yesterday. Would you like to continue that conversation?' The system is designed to provide responses tailored to each student.
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In Salamanca, plans are underway to introduce humanoid robots and AI assistant programs into high school AI and robotics classes. These classes will utilize a curriculum developed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to prepare students for high-demand technology-related jobs. The introduction of humanoid robots is currently experimental, but if successful, there are plans to expand its use to other grade levels.
Mark Beeler, superintendent of the Salamanca school district, explained the district's proactive approach to AI, saying, 'Many schools ban AI as an easy solution, but I believe students will find ways to circumvent most of the rules schools set. I also believe it's important for schools to teach how to use technology appropriately, rather than simply eliminating it.'
Furthermore, by utilizing the AI assistant program introduced alongside the humanoid robots, students can receive assistance with homework during and after class, upload their homework and receive feedback, take lessons on topics of interest, and have over 100 languages translated in real time.
Furthermore, the humanoid robots to be introduced in the Salamanca school district will not be equipped with facial recognition or recording functions, thus ensuring privacy.
According to the contract attached to the minutes of the school board meeting , the cost of introducing the humanoid robot is $57,590 (approximately 9.4 million yen). However, CEO Kigel has revealed that this price is a discounted price. The humanoid robot to be introduced in the Salamanca school district is a robot called the Realbotix M series, and its official selling price starts at $95,000 (approximately 15.4 million yen).
Regarding the Salamanca school district's introduction of humanoid robots and AI into education, some on the internet have praised it as a 'visionary and innovative step,' while others have expressed concerns about introducing AI into school education.
Salamanka is the only city in the United States located within a Native American reservation. The Salamanka school district has approximately 1,300 students, 32% of whom are Native Americans or Alaskans, and 79% come from economically disadvantaged families. Sierra Abrams, a parent living in Salamanka, expressed a negative view on the introduction of AI, saying, 'Our community already has many problems, including environmental issues. I don't understand the idea of adding AI to that. Introducing AI into schools would go against all of our beliefs.'
Realbotix emphasizes that its humanoid robots and AI assistant programs are trained based on the school district's curriculum and are designed to always return conversations to educational topics. It also reveals that the system is designed to automatically alert school administrators if students mention suicide, self-harm, or other inappropriate language.
Furthermore, safety and privacy are also prioritized. The humanoid robot and AI assistant program operate on a closed system that is not connected to the internet, and Realbotix is designed not to have access to any information that could identify students' personal information.
Realbotix, which is introducing humanoid robots and AI to the Salamanca School District, started as a company called 'Tokens.com' based in Toronto, Canada. Initially, Tokens.com provided a service for renting digital land in the metaverse, but in April 2024, it acquired Simulcra, the parent company of the sex doll manufacturer RealDoll. A Realbotix spokesperson explained to local media outlet New York Focus that 'Realbotix and RealDoll do not share employees, salaries, locations, or technology.' In addition, Realbotix explained that it plans to separate RealDoll's business.
