The Seattle Times: ‘Telepresence’ Robots Are Making Virtual School Feel A Little More Like Real School
It has been a year full of the unexpected for families who have had to quickly adjust to masks, quarantines and virtual and hybrid learning, all thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. For Eliza Engel and her son Thomas McKnight, one of the surprises 2020 has brought is that the sixth grader at Burgundy Farm Country Day School in Alexandria, Virginia, now attends class with the help of a robot.
“It’s really, truly amazing, because it looks like something out of ‘Star Wars,’ really,” Thomas says. “It’s like techno wizardry.”
A robot is also helping Amy Kleine’s 7-year-old son, Zach, stay connected to teachers and other students at St. Rose School in Longview, Washington, while he attends remotely to minimize the virus risk to his family members.