When children are chronically ill and unable to attend school, it’s not just the illness that can be debilitating — the separation from the classroom and friends can also take a toll.
For young people undergoing long-term treatment or struggling with mental health issues, Norwegian company No Isolation developed the AV1 robot, which can take a child’s place in class, serving as their eyes, ears, and voice, and helping them stay connected with their classmates.
The AV1 looks like a blank, simplified version of a human head and torso. It can rotate 360 degrees and is fitted with a camera, microphone and speaker. Teachers place it on a classroom desk and the student controls it remotely using an app, for which they are given a unique password. “They can tap or swipe their finger around the screen to look at different corners of the classroom,” said Florence Salisbury, marketing director for No Isolation. The student can talk to the teacher or their classmates through the speaker, and the app has a “raise hand” option that makes a light flash on the robot’s head. They can also select emojis that display in the robot’s eyes.
Salisbury says there are 3,000 active AV1 units in 17 countries, mostly in the UK and Germany, both of which have over 1,000 of the robots in operation.
In the UK, schools can rent the AV1 for around £150 ($200) per month, or opt for a one-time purchase for £3,700 (just under $4,960), with an additional service package of £780 (around $1,045) annually.
Salisbury says that perhaps the robot’s biggest benefit is its ability to maintain social bonds. She shared the story of a 15-year-old student in Warwickshire, England, using AV1 whose friends take the robot to lunch with them, keeping him included in their social circle.
“During a long absence, where classmates might not see their friend for an extended period, this connection to school really becomes a lifeline for that student, especially for those with a medical condition,” Salisbury said.
According to the most recent government statistics, more than 19% of students in England were persistently absent from school in the autumn of 2023/24, 7.8% due to illness alone, which is higher than pre-pandemic levels.
During the Covid pandemic, remote learning became the norm, but as students returned to school, for many it’s no longer an option. AV1 was launched before the pandemic, but some schools have reported using the robots to help students who have struggled to reintegrate with the classroom environment.
