Read at 3 different speeds

Robot to the rescue of youngster - 9th September 2024

As school pupils globally are trying on their uniforms, dusting down their footwear and loading their schoolbags in preparation for the next term, Howard Thomas is busy ensuring his avatar robot is fully charged.

After having received an arm cancer diagnosis last December, within a month 12-year-old Howard was following a course of chemotherapy treatment. He’s been experiencing severe nausea as a side-effect, routinely rendering him incapacitated.

Howard, an avid learner, was frustrated at missing out on his studies, and feeling socially isolated. Learning of Howard’s plight, two charities leapt to the rescue – the Momentum Children’s Charity and Chartwell Children’s Cancer Trust, which stepped in to procure a robot for the young patient.

The AV1 robot, fondly nicknamed AV Howard, substitutes his young counterpart at school, guaranteeing Howard keeps on top of his studies and is constantly in touch with his peers. Howard routinely directs his avatar partner, when home or hospital based.

Fitted out with both a camera and a speaker, AV Howard relays textbooks and worksheets in class, allowing the 12-year-old to pose and respond to questions in real time. An additional function empowers him to sneakily chat in ‘whisper’ mode to his neighbours during lessons.

The avatar is sufficiently sophisticated to convey numerous reactions and moods on behalf of human Howard, who signals whether he’s muddled or content by shifting the robot’s eyes and eyebrows. When feeling down in the dumps, he switches the light on AV Howard to blue so others are aware.

Howard’s classmates play a vital role, carting the robot about school premises and positioning him in the ideal place. Howard can also participate in the corridor chatter, which boosts his morale. And given that AV Howard sports his own school tie, the robot feels like one of the gang too!

When the bell rings at close of day, AV Howard settles down in the school medical office, to be recharged overnight. Although real Howard’s optimistic his own batteries will soon be adequately re-energised to start school, studying and hanging out with his chums via his avatar’s the next best thing!