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Send your child's robot to school

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(Photo: VGo Communications)

Sci-fi tells us that the future will be filled with robot servants, flying cars and meals at the touch of a button. It seems a little bit of the  future is finally here.

A company called VGo Communications have created a remarkable robot that can change the lives of doctors, children and the elderly.

Mashable reports that one student in particular, Devon Carrow, has put the robot to the test by sending it to school for him.

Devon is not an average kid in the second grade. He suffers from an array of allergies including peanuts, milk, eggs and certain meats. He also suffers from esophagitis disease (an allergic inflammatory response in the esophagus), along with anaphylactic shock syndrome, respiratory distress syndrome and asthma.

These allergies make it impossible for little Devon to go to school. The risk is just too high. His parents still wanted their son to experience school and that's when the telepresence VGo robot was suggested.

How does a VGo work?

Using a PC, the VGo connects the child to the internet and can then be remotely controlled. It can move around between classes and the built-in webcam means that the child can be seen and is able to interact with the class.

I was sceptical at first, especially with how the other students would react to having a robot instead of a boy in their class. I was pleasantly surprised that the children took well to having the VGo at their school.

Buffalo News reporter, T.J. Pignataro, describes the transition as "seamless".

After watching Dever at school, T.J. writes, "Through the eyes of Devon’s classmates, he’s one of them, according to Winchester educators. That was silently proven last spring, when his first-grade class made Devon some 'get-well' artwork after a nearly fatal allergic reaction again landed him in Women and Children’s ICU.

'They drew a picture of a boy,' said Brachmann, explaining the class identified with Devon as a person and not as the VGo machine."

It sounds like a huge hit, but do you agree?

Would you be willing to send your child's robot to school if they were too ill? Vote and comment below!


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