By Kevin Cummings - NTX Inno Staff Writer

September 10, 2020, 11:15am CDT

As many North Texas schools resume classes online, technology issues and the lack of in-person learning have left some students struggling to keep up, including those on the autism spectrum.

On Wednesday, founder and CTO of Dallas-based edtech startup RoboKind Richard Margolin joined NTX Inno for the second installment of virtual conversation series Bytes with the Beat to talk about the role of edtech amid the pandemic and beyond, as well as the inspiration behind the company. As a bonus, Margolin also showed off some of the teaching capabilities RoboKind’s robots.

“RoboKind really started kind off with the understanding that we could use robots to really help and benefit people in ways that other people can't,” Margolin said.

RoboKind launched in 2011 with the mission of helping students, especially those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, to develop new interests and realize their full potential. The startup has developed two products: Robots4Autism and Robots4STEM. Milo, the socially advanced, lifelike robot developed by RoboKind, leads the way for Robots4Autism. Through consistent repetition, patience and friendly demeanor, Milo gives children on the autism spectrum the structure they need to learn and grow. Robots4STEM is a visual programming language developed by the company to help spark interest in coding for children.

Margolin said that as students and teachers pivot to online classes, some students, especially those with autism may struggle to keep up, as the visual and facial cues they rely on can be muddled in virtual classrooms and as teachers try to make sure an entire classroom of students is getting the attention the need.

With a background in technology, science and education Margolin and the team at RoboKind have a mission to make a positive impacts on students’ education, he said. To due this during the current crisis, RoboKind has been developing online curriculums with an avatar version of their robots to help students learn. At the end of the last school year, RoboKind launched an initiative to provide its coding instruction software, District Enterprise robots4STEM, to students in districts with pandemic-related closures for free. Prior to the pandemic, RoboKind had only sold the software with the purchase of one of its robots but sped up the launch to meet the need created by the pandemic.

“We've just seen really… when the pandemic started, schools and school districts were struggling to just figure out what they were doing it all,” Margolin said. “What we've really been working hard on since March, when everything really started, is trying to figure out how do we make sure that we're able to continue serving kids in whatever this environment looks like, which includes remote.”

Margolin said that while technology use in education has been increasing, the pandemic has accelerated its adoption. It’s something he sees continuing into the future, likely leading to more individualized learning environments. Intentionally created to be affordable for mass deployment in schools, Margolin said RoboKind is poised to be part of that adoption not only with its robotic technology, but with the data it has been able to collect, which they share with researchers to help develop better practices and curriculums for student.

“Into the future, I think I think what we're really seeing in terms of changes with the pandemic… is basically the extension of adaptive and individualized learning that's kind of been slow rolling into education for the past several years,” Margolin said.

If you weren’t able to join us for Bytes with the Beat, you can watch the full conversation below.