A Critical Retelling of the Implementing of Telepresence Robots to Enhance Learners’ Collaboration: Through a Posthumanist New Materialist and Intersectionalist Lens

Telepresence robots (TPRs) have a transformative potential in educationEducation, bringing about the fusion of human and non-human elements in educationEducation. Three case studies delve into TPR implications. The first retelling examines communication dynamics and gender-based variations. The second focuses on TPRs’ role in hybrid learning during COVID-19, addressing engagement and challenges like audio quality. The third retelling explores TPRs in library services, considering acceptance, technical limits, and privacy. Utilizing an assemblage of theories of intersectionality, feminist new materialism, and posthumanism we retell how TPRs impact, and engage power dynamics, agency, identity, and inclusivity across three diverse settings. The chapter’s contribution is a retelling of TPRs’ capacity to disrupt norms, enhance access, and promote equity in educationEducation. It stresses ongoing research, tech improvement, and user input for effective TPR integration. Complex dynamics of TPR introduction are comprehensively explored, holding promise for inclusive learning and broader societal change.