A manufacturing plant and showroom for Iris, the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robot tutor, has been unveiled at the Dube TradePort in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
This, as creator Thando Gumede eyes deployment of the AI humanoid tutor in nearly 23 000 public schools across South Africa.
Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) deputy minister Dr Nomalungelo Gina welcomed the manufacturing plant, describing it as an example of innovation driving educational advancement.
Gina’s remarks were delivered on her behalf by Dr Anitha Ramsuran, manager: transformation and innovation for inclusive development at the Technology Innovation Agency, at the launch event.
“As the DSTI, our mandate is to support science, technology and innovation that address the real conditions of our people,” she says, calling for strong collaboration between government and the private sector to support initiatives like these.
“The localisation of Iris manufacturing will signal the growth of a South African innovation ecosystem that can drive enterprise development, strengthen industrial capability, create opportunities for young people and position the country as a producer, rather than merely a consumer, of advanced technologies.”
Iris the robot was conceptualised by the KZN-born innovator and former teacher Gumede and developed by her company BSG and Technologies.
It is an educational robot capable of teaching subjects across multiple levels – from grades R to tertiary education – in the 11 official languages. It leverages advanced natural language processing, emotional recognition and adaptive learning algorithms to engage learners in interactive, personalised lessons.
It is intended to support rather than replace teachers by providing additional learning assistance, personalised support, learner performance analysis and classroom engagement tools.
The Iris showroom will provide schools, government departments, investors and communities with an opportunity to experience how AI and robotics can contribute to education, skills development and the advancement of fourth industrial revolution technologies, according to the DSTI.
Dube TradePort CEO Hamish Erskine said the company is proud to have created an environment that attracts and supports innovative, knowledge-driven businesses.
“Through investments in world-class digital infrastructure, we have enabled technology-driven businesses to operate efficiently and compete globally.”
Gumede shared her personal journey behind the development of Iris, explaining that her experience as a teacher exposed her to the immense workload educators face, including lesson preparation, marking and learner performance analysis.
“Teachers spend countless hours beyond the classroom preparing lessons, marking assessments and analysing learner performance data. The workload often extends into our personal time, making work-life balance extremely difficult.”
She added that the vision behind Iris was to create a solution that supports teachers, administrators and learners, while expanding access to quality education.
“I developed Iris because I wanted to create a platform that helps teachers, administrators and learners work together more effectively, while improving access to quality education and learning support.”
According to Gumede, among the challenges she faced in developing the humanoid include securing relevant funding and overcoming scepticism. Motivated by these challenges and lacking the resources to hire developers, she taught herself to code and develop software.
“It took more than seven years of persistence, self-funding and continuous development to reach this stage.”
Looking ahead, Gumede outlines: “Our goal is to see Iris deployed in all 23 000 schools across South Africa, ensuring every learner has access to quality educational support regardless of where they live. At the same time, we aim to create 20 000 jobs over the next five years through manufacturing, technical support, training and the growth of the innovation ecosystem.”
The next phase is to focus on refining the technology, expanding adoption and demonstrating its impact in real learning environments. “We want educators, learners and stakeholders to experience firsthand how this technology can support teaching and learning.”
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