At just 20, C Abhinav, a computer application student from Mannarkkad Universal Arts and Science College, has managed to give life to a ‘classmate’ who is not flesh and blood but can answer questions, solve math problems, and even chat with others in Malayalam.
His creation, Kerala’s first AI student robot ‘Mia’, is now part of a batch at Ariyoor Nayadippara A L P School in Palakkad. She is dressed in uniform like the other children, ready to answer anything from ‘Who is India’s Prime Minister?’ to ‘What sound does a tiger make?’
Abhinav’s fascination with technology began in school, thanks to the Atal Tinkering Lab initiative in schools. “I started developing apps when I was in Class 9,” he says.
But his journey with Mia started when the school’s principal, K Baburaj, approached him with a challenge. Baburaj shared a video of Iris, Kerala’s first AI teacher, and asked if it would be possible to create something similar but affordable for ordinary students.
“Out of my overconfidence, I agreed. I even said I could finish it in four days. But when I got home and started working on it, I realised that hardware is not as easy as software,” Abhinav recalls.
“It took me nearly four months to complete the first version of Mia. It then took another two months to reach the current version with the screen and everything you see today.”
One of the biggest highlights of Mia is its cost-effectiveness. “A mechanism that even a normal government-aided school can afford has been used here. It doesn’t cost lakhs of rupees; the only expense is for the components,” says Abhinav.
The robot was created using Java software and after several trials, its body was shifted from heavy materials like fibre and plaster of Paris to lightweight plastic so that students could easily handle it.
Abhinav, who has also won at the state level in K-DISC’s Young Innovators Programme, is the sole brain behind the robot. “A lot of travelling and hard work have gone into creating this,” he adds.
Initially, Mia was developed as part of the Attitude Skill Knowledge (ASK) Project of the school, focusing on spoken English training. However, after upgrades, Mia can now do much more. She not only provides exact answers but also explains them if asked, even in Malayalam.
From solving math equations to teaching animal, instrument, and vehicle sounds, Mia adapts to each student’s learning style, making lessons interactive and fun. Though Mia currently lacks mechanical movement, Abhinav is working on adding that feature soon.
“Asking questions is the foundation of communication skill development,” notes Baburaj, the principal. “But in today’s classroom conditions, students might hesitate to ask questions to teachers. So, by introducing a robot as their friend, students interact freely. That’s how this concept was born.”
In the early days, teachers prepared specific question frames for children to ask Mia, but now students can ask freely and even have interactive conversations with her, he adds.
Baburaj highlights, “We could buy something like this from the market, but it would not allow customised data. In our case, everything — from the questions to the ideas, local references, and cultural elements is created based on our school. That’s what makes this robot complete and unique.”
Notably, Mia has inspired many other government schools, with several already contacting Abhinav to create similar robots. He, however, underscores that AI can never be a replacement for humans.
“AI is just a tool that needs to be handled by a human. This is simply a new experience for kids to spark their curiosity about modern technologies,” he says.
That may be true, but as technology advances, the day may not be far off when many more humanoid friends like Mia will be running around school grounds.