Yesterday morning, AR Laboratories revealed a promising breakthrough for the world of remote learning. Since March, many students have been attending school from their homes, and found one thing certainly lacking: a teacher contorting themselves in front of the student’s desk to answer a question. Many approaches could be taken to solve this issue, such as slowing the pandemic that is sweeping through the country, but AR laboratories sees things a little differently. Initially a personal protective equipment manufacturer, AR laboratories saw the unmet need for hologram teachers far before anybody else did, and diverted all of its production towards bringing them to life.
The AR is in a pilot stage now, and has been shipped to the students of a select few schools in California. Astoundingly, since this is augmented reality, not virtual reality, the student’s view is not fully obscured by their virtual teacher leaning over their desk. With the goggles, students can ask their virtual teachers for help and have their teachers displayed in front of their eyes as they come over and pose menacingly in front of their desk, as if they are saying something helpful. Only two out of every five times did the virtual teacher go rogue and permeate the student’s dreams, but even then, they posed like they wanted to give algebra advice, children said. Local parents say two out of five sounds better than any numbers they have heard before.
The prototype allows the child to select from three stances, or purchase bonus packs. The basic stances include poses such as:
- Standing on one foot with hand on chin
- Feet shoulder width apart, leaning in very close to the desk, and
- Backbend with hands landing on desk (to supervise work upside down).
Should the child want a more varied environment, they can purchase the “English Teacher Set”, featuring poses such as:
- Excitedly sipping coffee from an oversized, close-to-shattering Disney mug
- An understanding yet firm head nod, and
- Handing fake assignments back folded in half (you know why).
The prototype does not feature any speaking yet, so it is hard to say how useful it will truly be.
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