Robot attends school instead of boy - 9th September 2024

As many children prepare to restart school after the holidays, one child is getting his avatar robot ready.

Last year Howard, who's 12 years old, found out he had a rare kind of arm cancer. He began chemotherapy treatment shortly after but unfortunately, this left him feeling very sick. He was frequently unable to attend school, which upset Howard, who loves learning and missed his friends badly.

When two charities for children - Momentum and also Chartwell - learned about his problem, they promised to help and Howard was soon given a robot, "AV Howard".

This robot often goes to school in Howard's place and it's changed his life. It prevents him from falling behind and allows him to keep in touch with his friends. When Howard has to stay in hospital or at home, the schoolboy controls his robot with his computer.

AV Howard reads textbooks in class via its camera, while the robot's speaker lets Howard ask and answer questions in class as well. AV Howard can show feelings through its eyes, which Howard controls. So a teacher can, for example, see when Howard's confused.

The boy's friends are very willing to carry AV Howard into classes and they make sure he's sitting in a good position. Through his avatar, Howard can also join in conversations in the corridors, so he doesn't feel lonely anymore.

Each day, as school finishes, AV Howard's handed in to be recharged. Real Howard's hoping his own batteries will soon be recharged too. But meanwhile, his robot friend's doing a great job!