This morning’s Washington Post has a story here of the Demo conference where a new Pleo toy was launched. I went to the website of the manufacturer, Ugobe, to meet Pleo’s makers. The website is compelling. Their idea is to make robots that respond to humans — and these robots learn. The implications for education are amazing. Why not “life form” bots as Ugobe calls Pleo and their products to follow, that would be tutors? The following is Ugobe’s description of Pleo:
Pleo is a one-week old infant Camarasaurus from the Jurassic period. Camarasaurus were born and raised in giant fern forests. They evolved camouflage that allowed them to blend with their environment of ferns, moss and ruff, the detritus that littered the forest floor. The first Pleo created is a Fernback. His markings help him to survive by hiding among the giant fern fronds in his habitat.
Pleo is an authentic Life Form. Treat him gently like any other living thing. Your Pleo will let you know how he feels at any moment. That’s because he is capable of actual emotions including joy, aggression, sorrow, and fear. He can also yawn, sigh, sniff, sniffle, snore, cough, hiccup, and sneeze.
Pleo wants to explore his environment. He will be cautious when he walks to the edge of a table. He may cry when he is frightened. Pleo will stretch when he first wakes up. He may stomp his foot for food when hungry.
When Pleo grows tired, lay him down and attach his ‘dream cord’ so he can sleep, dream, and gather energy for more exploration.
Nothing, of course, will truly replace the human teacher. We need to come at this idea from the other direction. Bots would not replace humans. They could and should begin to roll out as toys that teach. How about a bot puppy that gently nipped a child who petted too hard? Or a bot street sign that reacted when kids did unsafe things? To learn street safety, it would be better to get bawled out by a bot than run over by a car.
And as the bots grow up in years to come, they will be able to learn from the Internet and help their little human friends learn too. Is this a fairy tale, or the willingness to think about learning in new ways?
