Economic and psychological aspects of the introduction of robotic systems in education

Subject. Economic and psychological aspects of the introduction of robotic systems in the educational environment. Objectives. Development and economic and psychological substantiation of a comprehensive methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of the introduction of robotic systems into the educational environment, based on a synergetic analysis of economic costs and psychological perception in order to identify the optimal types of robotic systems for the educational process. Methods. The materials and research methods are the classification of robotic systems, comparative analysis depending on the cost, the level of psychological rejection by students and the degree of anthropomorphism, the "sinister valley" effect as the main economic and psychological problem that significantly affects the effectiveness of the educational process. Results. Based on the developed classification of robotic systems depending on their cost, the level of rejection by students and the degree of anthropomorphism, it is proved that the choice of a robotic system should be based on a synergetic analysis of these factors. Thus, the cost of the most technologically advanced android robots, such as Unitree H1, reaches 12 million rubles, while humanoid models such as NAO cost about 1.5 million rubles, while the high risk of psychological rejection makes androids an economically inefficient choice for education. Conclusions. Humanoid robots are an economically feasible, pedagogically and economically-psychologically sound choice for the introduction of robotic systems into education, as they maximize educational potential, avoiding both the "sinister valley" effect and excessive financial costs. The research has practical significance for the management of educational institutions, teachers and educators, developers of robotic systems and programmers, and government agencies.