The article outlines the qualities of telepresence robots that are required for effective instruction of pupils who are unable to attend the session for a variety of reasons.

How Can You Teach or Learn When You’re Sick?

Schoolchildren and students, like everyone else, get sick. However, because recovery from illness might take weeks or months, missing classes can have a substantial impact on academic achievement and even the capacity to continue studying. There are also sporting injuries that necessitate extensive rehabilitation. S is, you can hire a private tutor, take a sabbatical, request a postponement of exams, and catch up during the summer. That’s what people used to do before teleconferencing robots.

Another group of pupils is those who are unable to attend traditional educational establishments. Individuals with heart illness, low immunity, blood coagulation issues, and impairments are examples of this. They are unable to attend conventional instructional institutions and must learn from the comfort of their own homes. The list of ailments, the existence of which grants the ability to study at the house, is approximately 60 items long.

There are also cases where a person is competent but dwells in another location or a rural town where getting to the place of study is impossible owing to weather or a lack of transportation.

The challenge arises in all of the instances described: how to engage in the learning process without traveling from your house or hospital.

The Solution

A telepresence robot is used to tackle the problem. A pupil at home can communicate with the school robot. Following that, the bot acquires its “avatar,” which may attend the class, listen to and jot down lectures, see activities in chemistry and physics sessions, answer teacher questions, and perform assessments. The student can photograph written work and quickly transmit it to the instructor for review.

At recess, such an “avatar” can walk down the corridor, approach friends, and converse with them through eye contact. The remote person’s morale is boosted by the opportunity of genuine communication; they do not feel excluded. Furthermore, kids believe they are a star because not everybody in the class has an avatar.

The existence of wheels, i.e., the capacity to move, distinguishes the telepresence robot from traditional video communication. This enables students to move from class to class, modify the perspective from which they see the board and the instructor, select an appropriate location in the classroom, and “see into the eyes” of teachers and pupil

Children can readily master robot control because they are all familiar with computer games and robot control varies just a little for them.

The New Problems

The employment of telepresence robots in schools is fraught with complications. To begin with, schools rarely have enough WiFi. As a result, video connection may be disrupted or of low resolution.

To see everything inscribed in white on the board clearly, move the robot near to the board or just use a lens with enlargement or an additional, attached lens connected to the tablet. The lens magnification is set so that the board takes up the full screen of the screen that the learner is looking at.

If the institution has tall doors, the robot must be carried via them. Not all robots on the current market are capable of this.

The robot’s maintenance is simplified to switching it on and off with one click and performing many tasks with the tablet, as well as linking it to WiFi. However, someone should understand the details of the operation, can troubleshoot any issues, and ensures that the robot is always powered.

Robot Requirements

1. The robot must be able to focus on the footage so that it can view everything written on the chalkboard. This is the most important point.
2. It ought to be feasible to take a video or photograph so that the learner may watch it all when the lesson is over.
3. The robot must be able to navigate between school rooms, including via door ledges and between tables.
4. The robot’s price should be modest enough that even low-income parents can afford it.

There are already various varieties of telepresence robots on the market, however not all of them match the specifications specified. So, for instance, only one of them (the BotEyes robot) can conquer doors and shoot video while also being the cheapest to date (USD 1400). Many robots can move on a level surface while zooming in on the footage. They are available on the RobotShop website.