Robot teachers invade kindergartens

This photo taken on July 30, 2018 shows educator Candy Xiong introducing a Keeko robot to children at the Yiswind Institute of Multicultural Education in Beijing. - In China, robots are being developed to deliver groceries, provide companionship to the elderly, dispense legal advice and now, as Keekos creators hope, join the ranks of educators. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP) / TO GO WITH China-science-education-robot, FEATURE by Elizabeth LAW and Danni ZHU

Beijing: The Chinese kindergarten children giggled as they worked to solve puzzles assigned by their new teaching assistant: a roundish, short educator with a screen for a face.

Just under 60cm (two feet) high, the autonomous robot named Keeko has been a hit in several kindergartens, telling stories and challenging children with logic problems.