Native-designed robots help children learn Indigenous languages
Ojibwe inventor's SkoBots combine robotics and language learning to support cultural revitalization
A Native engineer is using customizable robots to help Indigenous children learn their ancestral languages, according to reporting by NPR. Danielle Boyer, a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, created SkoBots, AI-assisted educational robots that respond to spoken prompts using prerecorded Indigenous language audio. Through her nonprofit, Boyer has mentored hundreds of Native youth across the United States to build and program the robots while learning their tribal languages.
One student, 12-year-old Holden Hoy, programmed his SkoBot to speak Anishinaabemowin, an endangered Ojibwe language, using prerecorded responses, according to reporting by NPR. Boyer said the robots are intended to encourage language learning without relying on generative artificial intelligence, which she said can produce inaccurate Indigenous language content. She said the project aims to strengthen language revitalization while teaching Native youth science, technology, engineering and math skills.
- 1.Kadin Mills. Meet the robots programmed by kids to speak their Indigenous languages. NPR, .
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