A girl who is undergoing cancer treatment will be able to attend school with the help of a robot.

Ten-year-old Peyton Walton will soon undergo five weeks of treatment at Memorial Sloan Cancer Center in New York. During that time, a robot she calls “Peyton’s Awesome Virtual Self,” or PAVS, will attend school for her in the state of Maryland.

The robot features an iPad screen attached to a rolling base. Walton will see and hear what the robot observes, and she can socialize with friends as her robot stand-in rolls down the halls. She’ll control the robot with an app and be able to respond to people talking with her. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity tie the remote user to the robot’s iPad and the iPad to the roller.

Walton’s friends helped her pay the robot’s $3,000 cost.

The robot comes from Double Robotics, a company that has helped other people in situations similar to Walton’s receive an education remotely. It also sells robots to telecommuters and doctors who need a remote presence.

The robot is bringing a little excitement into what otherwise would be an unrelentingly anxious and painful time, according to her mother, Lynn Schaeber.

bbabo.Net