School boy, 12, attends class via robot that other students place in the classroom

A Twickenham schoolboy battling a rare type of cancer has taken the form of a robot in order to attend class. The 12 year old Howard Thomas, received a grant for AV1 an avatar and audio-visual bot from the Chartwell Children's Cancer Trust after he missed classes due to the side effects of intense chemotherapy sessions.

Howard received the devastating diagnosis last December and started treatment in January. Despite attending Turing House School on a part-time basis, he was anxious about falling behind during his hospital stays or while resting at home.

But now, thanks to this innovative solution, he can virtually be present in his South West London school's classroom whilst being physically absent. The robot comes equipped with a camera that lets him read textbooks and worksheets, and a speaker allows him to ask questions and contribute in classroom discussions.

In high spirits, Howard commented: "The AV1 has been incredible! It's helped me to participate in class when I'm not well enough to be there. I have been able to keep up from an educational standpoint, so I don't feel like I am falling behind."

Interestingly, the robot, fondly dubbed AV Howard, is capable of expressing emotions too. Should Howard feel sick or just wish to listen, he can change the robot's head colour to blue, reports MyLondon.

Fellow pupils have already embraced AV Howard, who even has been given its own tie, as they help move it from lesson to lesson.

Howard's mother, Hermoine, said: "Howard is a high achiever and it stressed him out not being able to go to school, so the robot has been wonderful. He can discuss a worksheet with the other pupils and it's sociable; the other pupils wave goodbye to him at the end of a lesson. Howard will have the robot until he is ready to go back to school full-time. Thank you to Momentum for making the application for us."

The Thomas family sought the aid of Momentum Children's Charity in their apply for the AV1. The charity notably extends assistance to families across London, Surrey, and Sussex burdened by children's cancer or other life-threatening conditions.

The charity's work also includes those hands-on activities such as personally tailored support provided both in hospital and home via dedicated support workers. For further information on the remarkable work of Momentum, please visit www.momentumcharity.org.

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