South Africa’s first working humanoid robot visits local tech-driven schools

Curro New Road in Midrand and Curro Jewel City in Maboneng, both independent high schools within Curro’s DigiEd model, hosted Pepper the Humanoid Robot at their campuses on 20 and 21 February 2020.

  Pepper was the first humanoid robot working in South Africa, that can impressively read human emotion when programmed. The objective of its visit was not only to show off its unique Artificial Intelligence (AI) abilities, but to introduce learners to the reality that the 4IR is here, and to reinforce the need for skills such as coding, robotics, AI, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

  The Humanoid’s visit was ultimately a surprise for the learners, which elicited much excitement on the day – especially during the session where they asked Pepper questions and received articulate responses in return.

  A well-travelled robot, Pepper has embarked on regular school visits around the country, and has travelled as far as Kenya, Botswana, Mauritius and Dubai. At five-years old, it boasts being the first robot to have seen the top of Table Mountain.

  In light of Curro’s DigiEd schools delivering education in a technology-rich format in an effort to prepare learners for careers in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), Pepper surely felt ‘right at home’ during his visit. Curro New Road and Curro Jewel City both provide a progressive curriculum focused on Mathematics, Science, Robotics and Coding – essential subjects for learners to operate in the 4IR era. As the world continues to evolve with the changing face of technology, it is therefore essential that education helps prepare learners for the 2030 workplace.