Learning English is thought to be one of the hardest of languages to master. With a shortage of English teachers in parts of rural South Korea, it seemed the logical choice to use ‘egg’ shaped robots, city officials said. Developed by the Korea Institute of Science of Technology, Engkey is being used to read, sing songs and play alphabet games with the children. 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. Scientists have held pilot programs in schools since 2009 to develop robots to teach English, math, science and other subjects at different levels with a desired price tag of five to eight million won. “Cameras detect the Filipino teachers' facial expressions and instantly reflect them on the avatar's face, 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” said Sagong Seong-Dae, a senior scientist at KIST.
Eavesdropper