Archive · 12 Dec 2025
Teacher Builds Low-Cost Humanoid Robot for Rural Schools
A teacher named Akshay Mashelkar built a robot called Shiksha to help kids in rural schools learn better.
The robot is like a friendly teacher that can talk and teach lessons in Kannada, English, and Math.
It uses special cards to start different lessons, making learning fun and interactive.
Shiksha is now in many schools and helps teachers by making lessons more engaging.
It shows that even with a small budget, technology can make a big difference in education.
The robot also supports important government education policies aimed at improving learning in rural areas.
Akshay Mashelkar developed Shiksha, a low-cost humanoid robot, to enhance learning in rural Karnataka schools.
Shiksha is interactive, responds to programmed cards, and teaches in Kannada, English, and Mathematics.
The robot is operational in over 25 schools in the Uttar Kannada district, improving classroom engagement.
Shiksha was built over 1.5 years with an investment of Rs 2 lakh using locally sourced components.
The project aligns with national education policies like NEP 2020 and Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, promoting equitable and technology-enabled education.
- Who
- Akshay Mashelkar, a rural Karnataka teacher
- What
- Built a low-cost humanoid robot named Shiksha to aid learning in rural schools
- When
- Developed over 1.5 years
- Where
- Operational in over 25 schools across the Uttar Kannada district
- Why
- To make lessons more exciting, consistent, and accessible in resource-scarce environments
- Developer
- Akshay Mashelkar
- Robot Name
- Shiksha
- Development Time
- 1.5 years
- Cost
- Rs 2 lakh
- Languages Supported
- Kannada, English, Mathematics
- Schools Deployed
- 25+ in Uttar Kannada district
- Key Features
- Interactive, programmable cards, multilingual lessons
- Educational Policies Aligned
- National Education Policy 2020, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan