Robots replace sick children at school.

The AV1 robot is being used in a classroom in England.

Robot Avatar

The AV1 robot looks like a simplified version of a human body, consisting of a head and torso, a type of avatar robot. It can rotate 360 ​​degrees and is equipped with a camera, microphone, and speaker. Teachers simply place the robot on a desk in the classroom, and young patients control it remotely via an app.

"Students can use their fingers to tap or swipe left and right on the screen to observe different angles of the classroom," CNN quoted Florence Salisbury, Marketing Director of No Isolation, as saying.

The child patient can communicate with teachers or classmates using the speaker, and the app has an option to "raise hand to speak" via flashing lights on the robot's head. The child patient can also choose emojis to express emotions displayed in the robot's eyes.

AV1 is designed with privacy protection features. The robot does not collect personal data, and the app does not allow recording or screen capturing. Encryption is applied to each live stream, and each device only accepts one connected user at a time.

According to Salisbury, there are currently around 3,000 robots activated in 17 countries, mostly in the UK and Germany, with each country having more than 1,000 robots in operation.

In the UK, schools can rent the AV1 robot for around £150 per month (approximately 4.9 million VND), or opt for a one-time purchase of £3,700, plus an additional £780 per year for service.

According to Ms. Salisbury, perhaps the greatest benefit the AV1 robot can offer is maintaining social connections. She recounted the story of a 15-year-old student in Warwickshire (England) who used AV1 to go to lunch with friends, helping the student feel like they were still part of their friends and school.

"During periods of extended absence from school, when classmates are unable to see them, the connection with the school can become a lifeline for students using robots, especially those who are seriously ill," Salisbury explained.

The AV1 robot has a simple appearance.

Demonstrate the importance of every child.

According to the latest statistics compiled and published by the UK government on explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk , more than 19% of students in the country were regularly absent during the autumn of the 2023-2024 school year, with 7.8% due to illness.

AV1 was introduced before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Now, some schools continue to use the robot to help students who are struggling to reintegrate into the school environment.

The Chartwell Cancer Foundation (UK) owns 25 AV1 robots to provide to children with life-threatening illnesses. Foundation founder Michael Douglas says that with this robot, young patients can continue attending school even while receiving treatment in intensive care.

"Robots are loved by parents and are making a difference," he said, adding that "robots give parents the feeling that the child they represent is special."

However, there are still some administrative challenges hindering the introduction of robots into schools, such as some schools being unable to maintain the necessary technical infrastructure for robots to operate due to unreliable Wi-Fi signals or weak mobile phone coverage.

Approximately 3,000 AV1 robots have been activated in 17 countries worldwide.

In June, a peer-reviewed research report published in the journal Frontiers in Digital Health presented findings related to the use of the AV1 robot in Germany and another line of avatar robots, OriHime from Japan.

The results show that technologies like AV1 offer opportunities for children to maintain social connection and learning. However, the report notes that equitable access to this technology must be ensured, and that training courses for teachers are needed to help them understand the technical and social aspects of robotics.

Last August, No Isolation launched the AV1 Academy, a library that brings together training materials and resources needed to improve the use of robots.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/robot-thay-benh-nhi-den-truong-185241009094533061.htm