Middle Island, NY - September 5, 2014 - When Longwood School District’s eighth grade technology students returned to class on Wednesday, September 3rd, they were greeted by one of the district’s newest staff members, a two-foot-tall, blue and white robot named Henry.

Henry is the district’s latest teaching tool; a voice activated, educational robot that is designed to motivate and excite children about innovative careers in science, technology, engineering and math, otherwise known as STEM. To better prepare students for success in an ever-changing, technological world, the robot offers powerful tools that foster the development of critical and logical thinking.

Through interactive coding and hands-on programming, the robot has the ability to speak, move, recognize facial expressions and respond to people. "We're providing our students with a wonderful opportunity to become familiar with STEM in a very innovative and inventive way," said Debbie Lang, Technology Education Teacher and Lead Robotics Advisor at Longwood Junior High. "The use of this robot will allow students to discover the emerging technologies associated with robotic assistance devices.” Developed by Aldebaran Robotics, the robot is the most widely used humanoid robot for academic purposes worldwide. Its sensor network includes cameras, microphones and pressure sensors, as well as a voice synthesizer and two high fidelity speakers.