Sharjah24 – Reuters: A robot made in France, called Buddy, was introduced as the new classmate in a school southwest of Paris, during a visit to a school by First Lady Brigitte Macron and Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer on Friday (December 3).
Sick children who are at home or in hospital connect to their classes via their home computer or tablet, and are represented in the classroom by Buddy.
France aims to send out 4,000 Buddy robots to schools around the country by 2022, to help sick children continue their education and have a semblance of a normal life.
"Life continues. And obviously, school education, their friends, are part of their life. So how do we bring life as much as possible to the hospital?" said Brigitte Macron, who was a former high school teacher.
She and Blanquer spoke to students who were using 'Buddy' and another robot, 'Beam', to attend their classes via distance learning.
School teachers have been taught how to manipulate the robots via remote control, so they be dynamic in the classroom, and allow for the children at home to better visualise the space and their classmates.
"Even a child who faces limitations, who is sick at home or in hospital, should have access to this modern technology that opens up all the advantages that we all see," Blanquer said.
France has tried to keep schools open despite the rising COVID cases and the emerging Omicron variant, making face masks compulsory once again in classrooms in November.
For an optimal experience, please
