A South African-developed humanoid robot is being positioned not as a replacement for teachers, but as an additional pair of hands in the classroom — with its developers also looking to bring the manufacturing of the technology to KwaZulu-Natal.

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IRIS, developed by KwaZulu-Natal-based BSG and Technologies, was unveiled to media, investors and dignitaries at Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone on Thursday, where the company is headquartered and operates an IRIS showroom.

The company says IRIS is designed to work alongside teachers by answering learners’ questions, explaining concepts, assisting with assessments, supporting classroom activities and analysing learning interactions.

Its ability to communicate in all 11 official South African languages is central to the company’s vision of developing technology for local classrooms.

Speaking to Northglen News, BSG and Technologies founder and CEO Bonisiwe “Thandoh” Gumede said the technology was intended to help teachers deal with some of the pressures of an increasingly demanding education environment.

“Teachers carry an enormous responsibility,” she said, pointing to large and diverse classes, marking and other administrative duties that can extend into teachers’ personal time.

“Our vision is to give them additional support through technology, while ensuring learners have access to quality educational assistance regardless of their circumstances,” said Gumede.

She stressed that IRIS was not intended to replace teachers.

“We have technology all over the world but we still need people to operate it. IRIS is a robot, she can also malfunction. We need people to be able to repair or assist with support,” she said.

“It is an assistant — one that can help answer questions, reinforce lessons and provide additional support to learners, allowing teachers to focus on the human aspects of education that technology cannot replace.”

Supporting, rather than replacing, teachers

IRIS can assist with multiple subjects aligned with the South African curriculum, from Grade R through Grade 12 and into tertiary education. The system can also be adapted for private and independent school curricula.

The company sees the robot as particularly useful for providing additional explanations and support to learners while allowing teachers to concentrate on the parts of education that depend on human interaction, judgement and relationships.

The rollout is already underway through the National IRIS Lab School Campaign, with five schools among the first to receive the technology: Amangwe High School, Mgidla Secondary School, Ekuthuthukeni Secondary School, George Caltex Primary School and Intakemazolo Combined School.

Gumede acknowledged that the technology’s effectiveness depends partly on infrastructure.

“IRIS needs access to WIFI and a stable electricity supply,” she said, although the company has developed a model with a back-up battery.

Where schools lack connectivity, BSG and Technologies has partnered with businesses to provide internet access so that the robots can operate.

From importing robots to making them locally

While IRIS is currently manufactured in India, BSG and Technologies has ambitions to eventually manufacture the technology in South Africa.

The company plans to establish a manufacturing facility at Dube TradePort, potentially creating a local production base for the panels and other components used in IRIS.

For the company, the ambition goes beyond simply assembling a robot locally.

Local manufacturing could create opportunities across engineering, artificial intelligence, software development, manufacturing, technical support and education, while building South African skills around an emerging technology.

BSG and Technologies currently employs 15 people and projects that the expansion of IRIS deployment and local manufacturing could create more than 20 000 employment opportunities over the next five years across technology development, AI, software engineering, manufacturing, education, training, technical support and related fields.

The scale of that projection remains dependent on the pace of deployment, investment and the establishment of the proposed manufacturing operation.

A locally relevant AI platform

Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr Nomalungelo Gina said the development of locally relevant AI technologies could play an important role in supporting teaching and learning.

“It is encouraging to see the progress that BSG and Technologies has made since we launched IRIS last year,” she said.

“What began as an exciting demonstration of South African innovation is now evolving into a solution with the potential to transform teaching and learning across our country and beyond.”

She said technologies that respond to local needs, communicate in South Africa’s official languages and support both learners and educators are aligned with the country’s broader science, technology and innovation goals.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Rev. Musa Zondi said IRIS demonstrated how innovation could be applied to real-world challenges.

“The introduction of IRIS, South Africa’s first AI-powered tutor robot, shows how technology can be used to improve access to quality education and equip young people with the skills needed for the future,” he said.

Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone CEO Hamish Erskine said technologies such as IRIS demonstrated the potential for South African innovation to address local needs while creating new economic opportunities.

From India to KwaZulu-Natal

BSG and Technologies was established in 2017 before expanding its focus into artificial intelligence, robotics, coding and digital education.

The company says more than 2000 IRIS robots have been built internationally, while it has also received orders from private schools in South Africa.

Beyond education, the technology can be adapted for training, corporate environments, presentations and other applications, and can communicate in more than 7000 languages globally.

For Gumede, however, the immediate focus is on demonstrating how the technology can complement — rather than compete with — the people already at the centre of South African classrooms.

The longer-term ambition is to see that technology increasingly developed and manufactured locally.

If those plans materialise, IRIS’s story could evolve from one about importing an AI-powered humanoid robot into South Africa to one about using South African education needs as a springboard for a new local technology and manufacturing industry.

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