{"slug": "new-york-school-district-to-deploy-humanoid-robot-in-classrooms-this-fall", "title": "New York school district to deploy humanoid robot in classrooms this fall", "summary": "The Salamanca City Central School District in New York will deploy a humanoid robot named Sally from Realbotix this fall to assist with instruction, marking a landmark moment for AI and humanoid robotics in education. The robot, designed to support teachers and students, will tailor responses based on individual learning histories while operating under district oversight with privacy safeguards.", "body_md": "An upstate [New York](https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/northeast/new-york) school district is bringing a humanoid robot into the classroom this fall, where it will assist with instruction as educators test how artificial intelligence can be integrated into teaching.\n\nSyracuse.com [reported Wednesday](https://www.syracuse.com/schools/2026/07/upstate-ny-school-district-will-deploy-a-humanoid-robot-teacher-this-fall.html) that students in the Salamanca City Central School District in Western New York will have access to a humanoid robot that is not intended to replace their teacher but will serve as a support to teachers and students.\n\nThe outlet reported that during a board meeting last month, the Cattaraugus County school district said it would buy the robot from tech company Realbotix as well as an AI teacher’s assistant program that gives students the ability to work with the robot [on their laptops](https://www.foxnews.com/category/tech/topics/computers).\n\n**STUDY FINDS MORE AI PRAISE FOR BLACK STUDENTS, SOFTER TREATMENT OF FEMALES**\n\n\"This deployment in a working school district represents a landmark moment for both AI and humanoid robotics,\" said Andrew Kiguel, CEO of Realbotix, whose company is currently building the robot. \"Salamanca marks the beginning of a new era where [humanoid robots](https://www.foxnews.com/category/tech/technologies/robots) and intelligent AI assistants become standard tools in STEM education.\"\n\nThe robot, named Sally, is designed to resemble a human, with silicone skin and long brown hair. It will remain seated but will be capable of a range of facial expressions and upper-body movements.\n\nKiguel said students will log in using unique ID numbers, allowing the robot to access their previous interactions and tailor its responses to each student's learning history. For example, the robot could recognize a student and continue a discussion from an earlier class.\n\n**AI CHATBOTS TAKE HEAT OVER LEFT-WING BIAS: ‘NO LONGER BE CONSIDERED NEUTRAL’**\n\nMark Beehler, Salamanca Superintendent, said his district is trying to [incorporate AI](https://www.foxnews.com/media/conservatives-say-ai-chatbots-being-weaponized-left-wing-media-bias-millions-rely-them) into their day-to-day learning.\n\n\"Many schools are taking the easy solution of simply banning it, but I have found that students will find a way around most rules that schools put in place,\" Beehler told Syracuse.com. \"I also believe it is critical for schools to teach proper [use of technology](https://www.foxnews.com/category/health/orthopedics/technology), not simply exclude it.\"\n\nIn a statement to Fox News Digital, Kiguel said, \"The humanoid robot and Optio AI teaching assistant being developed for Salamanca are the first of its kind, providing the school with purpose-built educational tools. They will operate under district and teacher oversight, with education-specific safeguards in place and Realbotix will not have access to student data.\"\n\n**ARKANSAS STUDENTS OUTPERFORM NATIONAL AVERAGE AFTER UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE EXPANSION, GOVERNOR SAYS**\n\n**CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP**\n\nKiguel added, \"Realbotix is incredibly fortunate to partner with the Salamanca School District, whose deep commitment to [STEM education aligns](https://www.foxnews.com/media/arkansas-students-outperform-national-average-universal-school-choice-expansion-governor-says) perfectly with our mission. They believe there is no better way to learn robotics and coding than through hands-on, real-world interaction. This has been a deeply collaborative process designed to support, rather than supplant, traditional learning. We are providing custom-built educational robots that prioritize both student engagement and robust safety and privacy protections.\"\n\nFox News Digital reached out to Beehler for comment.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/new-york-school-district-to-deploy-humanoid-robot-in-classrooms-this-fall", "canonical_source": "https://www.foxnews.com/media/new-york-school-district-deploy-humanoid-robot-classrooms-fall", "published_at": "2026-07-18 19:00:24+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-18 19:26:38.127559+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "robotics", "ai-products", "ai-ethics", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Salamanca City Central School District", "Realbotix", "Andrew Kiguel", "Mark Beehler", "Sally", "Fox News Digital", "Syracuse.com"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/new-york-school-district-to-deploy-humanoid-robot-in-classrooms-this-fall", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/new-york-school-district-to-deploy-humanoid-robot-in-classrooms-this-fall.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/new-york-school-district-to-deploy-humanoid-robot-in-classrooms-this-fall.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/new-york-school-district-to-deploy-humanoid-robot-in-classrooms-this-fall.jsonld"}}