Almost 30 robots have started teaching English to youngsters in the South Korean city of Daegu, education officials said last Tuesday, in a pilot project designed to nurture the nascent robot industry.
Engkey, a white, egg-shaped robot developed by the Korea Institute of Science of Technology (KIST), began taking classes last Monday at 21 elementary schools in Daegu.
The 29 robots, about one meter high with a TV display panel for a face, wheeled around the classroom while speaking to the students, reading books to them and dancing to music by moving their head and arms.
PHOTO: AFP 照片：法新社
The robots, which display an avatar face of a Caucasian woman, are controlled remotely by teachers of English in the Philippines — who can see and hear the children via a remote control system.
Cameras detect the Filipino teachers’ facial expressions and instantly reflect them on the avatar’s face, a senior scientist at KIST said. “Well-educated, experienced Filipino teachers are far cheaper than their counterparts elsewhere, including South Korea,” he told AFP.
Apart from reading books, the robots use pre-programmed software to sing songs and play alphabet games with the children.
“The kids seemed to love it since the robots look, well, cute and interesting. But some adults also expressed interest, saying they may feel less nervous talking to robots than a real person,” an official at Daegu city education office said.
The official said some may be sent to remote rural areas of South Korea shunned by foreign English teachers.
She said the robots are still being tested, but officials might consider hiring them full time if scientists upgrade them and make them easier to handle and more affordable.
“Having robots in the classroom makes the students more active in participating, especially shy ones afraid of speaking out to human teachers,” Kim said.
She stressed the experiment was not about replacing human teachers with robots. “We are helping upgrade a key, strategic industry and all the while giving children more interest in what they learn.”
The four-month pilot program was sponsored by the government, which invested 1.58 billion won (US$1.37 million).
Scientists have held pilot programs in schools since 2009 to develop robots to teach English, mathematics, science and other subjects at different levels with a desired price tag of five million to eight million won.
A KIST scientist stressed that the robots, which currently cost 10 million won each, largely would be a back up to human teachers but would eventually have a bigger role. ”Plus, they won’t complain about health insurance, sick leave and severance package, or leave in three months for a better paying job in Japan ... all you need is a repair and upgrade every once in a while,” a KIST scientist said.
(AFP)
南韓大邱市教育局官員上周二指出，大約有三十台機器人已正式開始在南韓大邱市教小朋友英語，這項試驗性計劃是為扶植機器人新興產業所設計的。
白色蛋形的Engkey機器人，是由南韓科學技術研究院（KIST）研發，它們從上周一開始，在大邱市的二十一所小學授課。
二十九台機器人，高約一公尺（約三點三呎），臉部安裝一塊顯示面板，靠輪子在教室內移動，會與學生對話、朗讀課文，還會隨音樂手足舞蹈。
機器人臉部呈現一位虛擬白人女子的面孔，它們是由一群在菲律賓的英文老師遙控，並可透過遙控系統看到學童與並聽到學童的聲音。
南韓科學技術研究院的一名資深科學家表示，攝影機一偵測到菲律賓老師們的臉部表情，虛擬教師的面孔就會改變。他對法新社透露，「聘請有良好的教育背景又有經驗的菲律賓教師，會比南韓與其他國家同等級的教師便宜。」
機器人教師除了能閱讀外，利用事先設定好的軟體程式，它們還可以唱歌並與學童玩字母遊戲。
大邱市教育局官員表示：「孩子們似乎很喜歡機器人，嗯，因為它們外表可愛又有趣。有些成年人也對機器人感興趣，因為對機器人說話，可能不會像和真人對話那麼緊張。」官員說，政府正考慮送部分機器人到南韓師資匱乏的偏遠地區協助教學。
官員還指出，這些機器人目前還在測試階段，不過若科學家將來升級它們的功能，並讓它們變得更容易操作且價格更低廉的話，政府部門可能會考慮雇用機器人全職授課。官員表示，「課堂裡有機器人，學生會更積極參與，特別是生性害羞、不敢跟真人教師對話的學生。」
官員強調引進機器人並非要取代真人教師，「我們是在幫助升級一個重要的策略性產業，同時也讓學童對所學內容感興趣。」
這項為期四個月的試驗計畫，政府資助十五億八千萬韓圜（約一百三十七萬美元）。南韓科學家二零零九年開始在各級學校推行機器人教學試驗計畫，讓機器人可以教授不同級數的英語、數學、科學等科目；同時把機器人售價，降為五百萬到八百萬韓圜。
目前機器人一台要價一千萬韓圜。南韓科學技術研究院科學家強調，機器人教師主要用於輔助真人教師，但將來會發揮更大作用。他指出，「機器人不會抱怨健康保險不夠好、不會請病假、不會要求資遣費、不會三個月後就為高薪跳槽到日本等；反之，只需每隔一段時間對它們進行保養和升級即可。」
（法新社╱翻譯：林亞蒂）
At an unusual event, a group of people gather and sit together without interacting or checking their phones. Instead, they concentrate on nothing at all and empty their minds for the Space-Out Competition. Originally proposed by South Korean artist Woopsyang in 2014, this event is a form of performance art. It challenges the social expectation to remain constantly busy in this fast-paced world, offering competitors a pause from their routines. For 90 minutes, players are scored on how well they “space out” based on artistic and technical aspects, with their heart rates monitored every 15 minutes. Then, the audience votes for
A: Taiwanese-language pop singer Jody Chiang is finally staging a comeback after having “turned off the microphone” for nine years. B: Yeah, she’s set to perform for the National Day celebration at the Taipei Dome this Saturday. A: As the best Taiwanese-language singer, it would be a big loss if she continued her hiatus. B: Recently, Chiang revealed that she quit singing in 2015 due to cancer. A: That’s shocking. But it’s great to see her healthy and able to turn the mic back on again. A: 台語歌后江蕙「封麥」9年後，終於即將復開唱了。 B: 對啊她本週六將參加國慶晚會，在大巨蛋開唱。 A: 江蕙可是最棒的台語歌手，如果不唱歌太可惜了。 B: 她最近才透露，其實2015年是因為罹癌才會「封麥」。 A: 真是令人震驚！能再看到她健康地「開麥」太好啦。 （By Eddy Chang,
A: Apart from Taiwanese-language pop diva Jody Chiang’s comeback, South Korean girl group (G)I-dle is also performing in Taiwan this weekend. B: I know. They have concerts at the Taipei Arena on Saturday and Sunday. A: Actually, to meet their fans’ high demand, they’ve added one more show on Friday. B: They’re even adding a show? That shows how popular they are. A: My favorite group member is Taiwan’s Susan Yeh, known by her stage name “Shuhua.” Let’s go cheer her on. A: 本週末除了江蕙復出，南韓熱門女團(G)I-dle也將開唱唷。 B: 我知道，他們本週六、日將在小巨蛋開唱。 A: 應粉絲的要求，他們本週五還會加場。 B: 還加場？不愧是韓流人氣女團。 A: 我最喜歡台灣團員葉舒華！我們快去幫她加油吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
Grenada’s Underwater Sculpture Park is a great example of how art can be combined with environmental conservation. __1__ on the ocean floor of the Caribbean Sea, this aquatic gallery was the brainchild of British sculptor and ecologist Jason deCaires Taylor in 2006. The park features sculptures that function as man-made coral reefs, with holes and shelters to attract marine life, thus forming a strikingly beautiful __2__. The sculptures are placed in a way that diverts visitors from nearby natural reefs. This creative approach to ecological preservation demonstrates how art can inspire, educate, and contribute to the sustainability of our environment. The
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