Sitting in a circle on the floor of a nursery in Lausanne, Switzerland, children listen enthusiastically to the wise words of a friendly, alien-like robot answering their questions about giraffes or broccoli.
When these 3-year-olds are adults, interacting with a robot may be as common as using a smartphone today. This Swiss nursery called Nanosphere has therefore decided to get a head start.
Nao, the visitor from another planet
Since January, the robot Nao has been a regular visitor. It is an interactive learning companion rather than a substitute teacher. While parents drop off their children at the crèche, located on the campus of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Nao, installed on a bench, welcomes them from the height of his 58 centimeters.
“Hi, my name is Nao. I am happy to be at the Nanosphere today“, he said in a high-pitched, childish voice.
“I left my planet some time ago to come and meet you. I look forward to meeting you and being able to talk with you in the weeks to come! I wish you a very nice day“, he adds.
Some children walk past him, others wave at him, point at him, touch his hand or look at him, fascinated.
An enchanting visitor
“What will the future of children be like? Will they have to work with robots?“, asks AFP Olivier Delamadelaine, general director of Educalis, an education group specializing in the early childhood sector.
“We don't have the answer definitively but very probably yes, so as we are in a place of learning it is important to make them aware early enough that they are used to working with robots, these will be reflexes that they will have for the future“, he explains.
Once in class, Eve L'Eplattenier, director of the establishment, and her 14 students sit in a circle around Nao. “He will explain several things to you“, she tells them, before specifying that unlike them, Nao will never grow up.
“Do you like broccoli? It is very good for health“, says the robot that the teacher places on a table.
The children crowd around Nao, some jostling to get closer.
“No fighting!“, their futurist friend warns them.
Encouraged by their mistress, the cherubs try to trap him with questions such as: “I am an animal with a trunk, who am I?“. At the slightest correct answer, hilarious and contagious chuckles spread among the small assembly.
“The little scientist of the gang”
Sitting in a corner, Gabriel Paffi, a master's student in robotics, slips the correct answers to Nao.
He programs the robot by coding and adapts it to the needs of the nursery. “The goal is to make it automated and so that it no longer needs me to move around and respond to the children.“, he explains.
The first Nao robots were marketed in 2008 by the German brand United Robotics Group. Six generations of robots have followed one another and 15,000 units have been sold.
Nao is expected to spend several years in Educalis nurseries as his abilities increase.
“The children are curious to see what he will say and what he will do. It's a companion of little tips and advice“, assure Eve L’Eplattenier. “I think he will quickly position himself as the little scientist of the group“, jokes the teacher.
As for the parents, they are also curious to see how Nao will find a place for herself.
“I think it's a good way to help children progress with new technologies“, assures Guillaume Quentin, a dad.
“Apparently it has features that go much further than what we have seen so far. It will be interesting to see“, he adds.
When the time comes for Nao to return to his planet, each child comes to wave goodbye to him.
The robot responds to them by calling them by their first name: “I love you. I'll come back, soon. Goodbye children. Ciao.”
