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Meet Germany's First Robot Lecturer

February 23, 2019

Jürgen Handke is known as a pioneer of digital teaching methods. The German professor has an unusual assistant: a humanoid robot named Yuki.

https://p.dw.com/p/3Dwva

When students ask to speak to English language professor Jürgen Handke, they might encounter his robot assistant Yuki. The humanoid robot is 1.2 meters tall, very approachable and extremely knowledgeable. Professor Handke hopes his new assistant can help revolutionize German universities. For years, Handke has been using digital technologies to enhance his teaching: he has a YouTube channel with educational videos and an online platform where all students are registered. Robot lecturer Yuki can get a sense of how students are doing academically, and what kind of support they need. He can also have them take tests. Professor Handke insists Yuki is merely an assistant, and will never replace him as teacher. What do the students make the unusual assistant? DW’s Anna Goretzki spent a day accompanying robot lecturer Yuki at the University of Marburg.