Having polycystic kidney disease and a ravaged immune system has not stopped freshman Lyndon Baty from attending high school in Knox City, Texas. With the help of a mobile, four-foot tall robot, Baty is able to attend classes virtually. Vgo can move from classroom to classroom and is equipped with a small screen, camera, speakers and microphone that feed images and sound to Batty through his home PC, equipped with a webcam.

 

Baty is not the only child going to school thanks to robotic technology. Twelve-year-old Russian Stepan Supin uses the R.BOT 100, developed by Moscow’s 3Detection Labs, to attend history, geography, and other classes, all from the safety of his home. Supin suffers from leukemia and, like Baty, can’t risk being around other children because of his weakened immune system.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Texas Student Attends School as a Robot – A Sign of Things to Come (by Aaron Saenz, Singularity Hub)

Robots Help Sick Kids Go to School (by Tim Hornyak, by Tim Hornyak, Crave/Cnet)

Sick Student Attends School Via Robot (by Ryan Robertson, Associated Press)