Technology
A Norwegian startup called “No Isolation” recently displayed its telepresence robot, named AV-1, which attends the classroom for children suffering from chronic illnesses, keeping them socially connected to their peers and facilitating their education.
AV-1 is packed with a camera, speaker, microphone and two motors, the internet-connected features that act as the eyes, ears and voice of sick children as they learn first-hand from the confines of their homes, an arrangement that outlines the importance of empathy within technology and emotion within the digital realm, notes Dezeen.
Zoe Johnson, a 16-year-old housebound girl, says the AV-1 robot makes her feel that she hasn’t been forgotten, reports the BBC. The market for such telepresence robots has grown at a brisk pace in the U.S. where more than 8% of the children suffer from one or the other debilitating health condition.
