Councils are buying thousands of £3,500 robots designed to let anxious schoolchildren join classroom lessons from home. The devices, identified as AV1 robots, have a camera, microphone, and speaker. Through an app connection, a child at home can see and hear what is happening in the classroom and can speak back to classmates and teachers.
The approach is presented as a way to support pupils who may struggle to attend school in person, enabling them to participate remotely while still being present in the classroom setting via the robot. Coverage also frames the robots as a method for students to “represent” them in lessons, maintaining interaction with peers.
Across the reporting provided, the core focus remains on the same technology and price point, and the shared premise that the robots are used in classrooms while the pupil connects remotely from home. Differences in the outlets’ wording emphasize either the purpose for anxious pupils or the ability to join discussions from home, but the described function of the AV1 device is consistent.
