Breaking free from the confines of fiction and films, humanized robots will soon enter UK schools later this year in the form of MechRC.

 

The brainchild of a group of academics from the University of Reading, the MechRC robot has been redesigned by a British company as an education tool to make the learning of computers fun and exciting for children. The company is currently finalizing deals with hundreds of secondary schools for the robot.

 

The latest version of MechRC was unveiled recently at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

 

Commenting on the move to introduce MechRC in schools, its creator Dr. Jim Wyatt said: "I am excited about this going into most secondary schools in the country. We need to get kids excited not just in robotics, but also in technology and maths in general. That's what the UK has traditionally been so strong in - coming up with ideas and making technology accessible. We need to educate another generation to do this."

 

The battery-operated robot comes pre-assembled with over 100 pre-programmed moves and sounds. The robot is controlled like a video game character, making programming simple and fun.

 

Launched three months ago, MechRC has a price tag of pounds 400.