A robot named Bonbon, standing at 1.27m tall and weighing 40kg, has been created by a group of instructors at the Military Technical Academy to support teaching English, communication, singing, and dancing to elementary school students. This intelligent humanoid robot is part of a research topic under the National Key Science and Technology Program until 2025, proposed by the Military Technical Academy and approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Its success was recognized with a Useful Solution Patent by the Intellectual Property Office in October 2023.
Dr. Le Dinh Son, the project leader, expressed his satisfaction with the project’s success, highlighting how it showcases Vietnamese scientists’ mastery of robot design techniques and technology. The team successfully created a friendly, human-like robot suitable for elementary school children that can move flexibly, speak, and respond to various commands.
The research team collaborated with elementary school teachers and foreigners to digitize documents, create lecture scripts, and develop activities for classroom sessions. They also worked with Vietnamese students in the US to obtain voice data suitable for children’s learning. After testing the Bonbon robot in primary schools in Hanoi and Bac Kan, the feedback was positive, with teachers and students expressing excitement and improved engagement in the learning process.
The success of Bonbon has opened up possibilities for wider applications in services such as reception, travel, product promotion
