AI teacher robot in Udupi school

A government primary school in Karnataka’s Udupi district has put an artificial intelligence robot named Iris into classrooms at Vandse. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The launch took place on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at Government Higher Primary School, Vandse, in the Byndoor education block. Times of India and Daijiworld both described it as the first such initiative in a Karnataka government school. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (daijiworld.com) Iris is more than five feet tall and works as an artificial intelligence voice assistant for lessons, questions and classroom interaction. The project cost was reported at about Rs 3.5 lakh, funded by alumni and supporters through a WhatsApp group, with Maker Labs listed as the developer. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (irisrobot.in) This is not India’s first school robot, but it is a notable move for a rural government campus. Iris was first introduced at KTCT Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, in March 2024, and Maker Labs later said private schools in several states had installed it. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (educationtimes.com) The machine is being presented as a classroom aid, not a replacement for staff. Uday Kumar Shetty of Shri Mookambika Charitable Trust told Times of India the goal was to let children in a remote government school experience artificial intelligence-driven learning alongside conventional teaching. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Maker Labs and earlier coverage say Iris can speak multiple languages, answer questions from lower kindergarten through Class 10, and perform gestures such as shaking hands. Education Times reported in 2024 that the robot could also take attendance and connect to classroom devices such as lights and fans. (daijiworld.com) (educationtimes.com) The school’s own turnaround is part of the story. Times of India reported enrolment had fallen from about 800 students to 89 by 2015, with no Class 1 admissions for two straight years before local community members formed a trust and adopted the 111-year-old school. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Student strength has since risen to 334, according to both Times of India and Daijiworld. The campus added English-medium instruction in 2016, won approval in 2019, and now has a computer lab, projectors in every classroom and a smart interactive board. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (daijiworld.com) The same Saturday event also included the opening of a Balavana play area built at a reported cost of Rs 4 lakh, with Rs 2.8 lakh from the zilla panchayat, plus the school’s annual science fest and Rainbow Fest across seven subjects. That made the robot part of a broader push to market the campus as a tech-forward public school in a rural area. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) For now, the clearest change is what children in Vandse will see when class starts: a human teacher at the front, and a saree-clad robot beside them answering questions. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (daijiworld.com)