Alelo Develops Interactive Robot for Learning Chinese

Alelo and its collaborators are developing an exciting new project thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundations Cyberlearning program.

Alexandria, Virginia February 24, 2015

The Robot-Assisted Language Learning in Education, or RALL-E, project is a new social robot that has the potential to transform world language learning by giving learners new opportunities to practice their conversational skills.

The RALL-E robots are Chinese-speaking human-like robots that create a safe environment for learners to practice their conversational skills. These robots create the experience of a conversation through a lifelike range of facial expressions and gestures coupled with Alelos innovative language acquisition-based dialog software.

Designed to increase intrinsic motivation and speaking competency, the RALL-E project offers students the unique opportunity to participate in a fun, alternative practice exercise that mimics real world language use and they love it. Students are already playing with these robots in Chinese classrooms at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, VA.

During Alelos most recent focus group at Thomas Jefferson High School, students had this to say about the RALL-E robots:

"It was more interactive [than online courses and classroom activities] andâ€¦ actually its just more fun!"

"The facial expressions make it feel like youre talking to an actual person."

"If I make a mistake its okay. I know that when I speak Chinese with my [in-class] speaking pal its for a grade, but with the robot its just practice where Im free to learn and do whatever I need to do."

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is excited to be offering this new technology to their students. Dr. Evan Glazer, Principal, says:

"I think RALL-E has a lot of potential to build excitement for learning languages. Students have opportunities to practice their skills, and the robot responds to the dialogue as confirmation that he understands. The potential is great to support individual learning needs, particularly at introductory levels."

The RALL-E project aims to increase speaking competency in Chinese classrooms by providing students with a novel and motivating conversation experience. These robots will allow students to get the real world experience of using a new language, without the anxieties that come with using a new language, and empower teachers to bring the conversations they want into their classrooms.

The RALL-E project is a collaboration between Alelo, Robokind, the Virginia Department of Education, and Curious Lab.

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