Session 401: Introducing Iris: The AI Humanoid Robot Transforming Education and Classroom Technology

Location: Main campus location to be published here on January 5

Presenter: Aref Zahed (Professorial Lecturer, CAS | Computer Science)

Session Description: 

Meet Iris, an advanced AI humanoid that elevates learning through multilingual understanding, clear visual explanations, and personalized feedback. She generates her own code to create charts, runs programs, writes documents, and remembers users. Iris perceives her environment, interprets what she sees, supports meetings with real-time insights and transcripts, controls A/V systems remotely, and even monitors spaces as a safety assistant.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Explain the vision and purpose behind the creation of Iris, the AI humanoid teaching assistant.
2. Identify the key technical components and AI systems that enable Iris to interact, teach, and control classroom technologies.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of how AI-driven humanoid robots can enhance teaching effectiveness and student engagement.
4. Evaluate real-world applications of Iris in educational environments and their potential impact on pedagogy and classroom dynamics.
5. Reflect on the future of AI in education and discuss strategies for integrating humanoid robotics into academic and research settings.