Winona State University recently welcomed a new member to the admissions team: Winnie the robot.

The technology learning center at Winona State University recivied a grant of $3,000 a robot. The department is now loaning it to the Winona State admissions office to help with recruitment of new students.

The admissions bot or Winnie as it is called around the office, is an iPad that rests on a telescoping stand with two large Segway-style wheels. Its ensemble is finished off by a child sized purple Winona State t-shirt and occasionally a little flag on top. The robot is controlled by whoever is piloting it on the other iPad.

The admissions robot is one of a few similar robots on campus, but the one in admissions fills a specific purpose. The admissions robot travels all over with Winona State admissions counselor to events like college fairs. Winnie also meets with tour groups to show off to prospective students and their families how committed Winona State is to providing the best technology available to their students.

Winnie lives in the office of Brian Jicinsky, director of undergraduate admissions, and allows him to connect to possible students in a different way.

“It’s a good way to have a conversation with a student,” Jicinsky said.

It does a lot for admissions by showing prospective students what Winona State has available for students. It also functions as an attention grabber and ice breaker for anyone visiting Winona State. Students may attend dozens of campus visits and the admissions robot makes Winona State stand out among their list of many.

The robot is capable of functioning in ways that are beneficial to the person controlling it. The angle of its stand is self-adjusting so driving down ramps is just as simple as flat ground.

The robot can take pictures as well as record video. Future plans for the picture taking abilities of the robot might include allowing it to post to social media, spreading the robot’s reach far beyond where its wheels can take it. The robot is controlled through wi-fi so it can roll around anywhere in the world as long as it and the driver both have access to wi-fi. The robot is technically an iPad, so it can be used just like any other iPad.

Many other schools use robots like Winnie to allow a student who is unable to be physically on campus to still have some sort of presence in their classes.