What is AV1 ?

Av1 is a personal robot that is controlled by an app. Simply put, Av1 is a televisual robot that allows a student to view the class-room through the robots eyes. AV1 boasts the latest audio visual technology as well as access to the 4g tech which keeps it connected.

What is it’s purpose ?

The purpose of AV1 is to act as a go between for terminally ill children that cannot otherwise make it into school. The robot allows the children to attend lessons and interact with friends. It also features a camera and lens to allow the robot to portray the learning environment.  If the child is not feeling up for school, he or she can signalise that they want to be passive listeners, and a blue light will flash on the robot’s head. If the child wishes to answer a question, they can raise their hand by pressing a button in the app, and a white light will flash. You can also put the AV1 in whisper mode, so only the kids seated next to the AV1 will hear you.

What is the take-away ?

AV1 is a really cool idea that prevents terminally ill children from missing out on an education and helping to retain communication in a child’s life. The use of privacy is really important within school and I feel the overall function allows it to perform really well alongside the app. My main concern is that the robot doesn’t encourage engagement with other students in the sense that they learn from it. It facilitates learning but not in a way that can benefit a class or help to provide equality to the whole class.

Pros & Cons ?

Pros :

• Clever design and simple to use.
• Helps facilitate learning.
• Puts control in the child’s hands.
• Well designed.
• Use privacy and encryption.
• Charges safely with ‘slow charging’ to avoid overheating.

Cons :

• Only allows single user.
• Helps student but not the whole class.
• Does not teach student or engage in any way.
• Benefits one student at a time.
• Mostly rented at £2186 a year.