A humanoid robot is heading into the classroom as Realbotix Corp. begins a pilot program with Salamanca City Central School District in New York. The project combines Optio, the company’s AI-powered teaching assistant and at-home tutoring platform, with a Realbotix M-Series humanoid robot. The district, located on the Seneca Nation Reservation, will use the technologies to support classroom instruction and introduce students to artificial intelligence and robotics.
Optio allows students to interact with personalized digital avatars trained on district curriculum. The platform is designed to provide tutoring, homework assistance, concept review and multilingual support outside regular school hours. It also offers tools intended to help teachers with lesson planning, curriculum adaptation and differentiated instruction. The humanoid robot can hold conversations, display facial expressions and respond in real time. Realbotix said it will be used to encourage classroom participation and give students practical exposure to embodied AI.
The initial deployment will support high school students taking Woz ED AI and Robotics courses. The district plans to expand access to about 500 high school students during the fall semester, with feedback from students and educators used to refine the platform. Salamanca is a Woz ED STEM Pathway district, part of a program founded by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“This deployment in a working school district represents a landmark moment for both AI and humanoid robotics,” said Andrew Kiguel, CEO of Realbotix. “We are moving beyond lab demonstrations and pilots to deliver real, embodied AI directly into classrooms, supporting teachers, engaging students, and proving that advanced robotics can thrive in live educational environments. Salamanca marks the beginning of a new era where humanoid robots and intelligent AI assistants become standard tools in STEM education.”
“Salamanca Schools are excited to partner with Realbotix to provide our students with a safe, Salamanca-specific AI tutor and our educators with customized AI tools,” said Dr. Mark Beehler, Superintendent of Salamanca City Central School District. Schools have faced challenges with the rapid proliferation of AI and the potential for misuse by students. Working with Realbotix, we now have a powerful solution that will not replace student learning or our valued educators but instead serves as an additional custom resource to enhance learning outcomes and increase the efficiency of educators’ planning and lesson development. With strong school-specific safeguards for content and privacy, this tool removes the risk of exposure to inappropriate, inaccurate, or biased information. It enables personalized learning, supports students outside the school walls, and better meets the needs of diverse and reluctant learners. We are also excited about the connection to WozEd and STEM careers, and we anticipate benefits we cannot yet fully foresee. This partnership gives all students controlled, equitable access to safe and powerful AI resources while fostering learning, not replacing it.”
According to Realbotix, the platform includes controls designed to reduce inappropriate or unreliable responses and will operate under district oversight. The company also said Optio could provide additional support for neurodiverse students through personalized and continuously available learning assistance. Realbotix plans to assess the pilot using measures including student engagement, concept mastery and changes in teacher workload. The company intends to use the Salamanca program as a model for possible deployments in other school districts and STEM-focused schools.
