韩机器人老师进课堂 冰雪聪明惹人爱

　　Pupils often assume their teachers don't really exist outside the school gates, now robot classroom assistants could make this a reality. Almost 30 egg-shaped robots have started teaching English at primary schools in South Korea. The 3.3ft high machines have a TV panel that displays a female Caucasian face and can wheel around the classroom while speaking to the students. The robots are also able to read books and dance to music moving their head and arms.
　　古往今来，老师的威严形象是往往教育学生的“重要武器”，而与之相反，学生们还是希望老师别出现在课堂上，即使出现也至少表现得轻松些。如今一个“蛋形机器人”帮助韩国小朋友的梦想成为现实。3.3英尺高、拥有一个“人脸”的可爱机器人“走进了”韩国小学生的课堂，“她”在授课中能自如的在教室中“来回踱步”，并“张口”讲课。这个老师不仅长相讨人喜欢，而且拥有朗诵、跳舞等才艺呢。

　　But despite appearances the robots, developed the Korea Institute of Science of Technology, are not autonomous beings. They are actually controlled remotely by English teachers living in the Philippines, who can see and hear the children via a remote control system. Cameras then detect the teachers' facial expressions and reflect them on the avatar's face. The robots will teach after-school classes at 21 schools in the south-eastern city of Daegu.'Well-educated, experienced Filipino teachers are far cheaper than their counterparts elsewhere, including South Korea,' Sagong Seong-Dae, a senior scientist at KIST. Apart from reading books, the robots use pre-programmed software to sing songs and play alphabet games with the children.

　　尽管有着“机器人之身”，但这个“蛋形老师”实际上却有“血肉之躯”。据悉，这个由韩国科技大学发明的机器人教师并不是100%的自动化机器，实际上，他是由远在菲律宾的老师远程操控授课的一个工具而已。据悉，为了节约教学经费，韩国这所小学“聘请了”菲律宾的老师，老师们在菲律宾远程遥控机器人，而高科技也准确老师的即时面部表情让老师对学生的反映“如实的”出现在韩国教室内的机器人的“脸上”。据学生们反映，他们对他们的机器人老师赞赏有加，因为老师似乎很多才多艺，可以教他们唱歌也可以玩字母拼写游戏，与真人老师唯一的不同点就是他一点都不严肃。

　　Education official Kim Mi-Young, said: '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.'She stressed the robots, which cost ?5,600 each, will provide extra support for teachers but not replace them. The four-month pilot programme was sponsored by the government, which invested ?900,000. Mr Seong-Dae added: '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.'

　　学校主管说：“学生们更喜欢机器人，因为长相实在太可爱了。不仅如此，就连家长也喜欢和机器人老师交谈，这会让他们没那么紧张。”虽然聘请菲律宾的老师便宜，但是这个机器人本身却价格不菲，一个机器人能达到每台5600英镑，就目前情况而言，他们只是作为“助教”出现在课堂中。学校负责人向媒体透露了在他们眼中机器人老师的好处，有负责人说：“机器人老师很棒，他们不用请假，也不会要求涨工资，你所做的就只有平时更新他的程序而已，太实惠了！”