Avatar Helps Children Recovering from Illness Feel Less Lonely

Avatar Helps Children Recovering from Illness Feel Less Lonely

WASHINGTON — 

A small avatar may help children who are recuperating¹ from a long-term illness and feel isolated² from their friends and classmates. The robot takes their place in school. From home or the hospital, the children can hear their teachers and friends, and even take part in class.

AV1, an avatar that represents a child who is recovering from a long-term illness and cannot go to school, can be carried between classes by the child’s friends and is placed on the desk where the child usually sits. It was developed by a Norwegian firm appropriately called No Isolation³.

“So it sits at the child's desk in the classroom and the child uses a tablet or a phone to start it, control its movement with touch, talk through it; so it's the eyes and the ears and the voice at school,” said Karen Dolva, a co-founder of No Isolation.

From home or a hospital bed, the recovering child can also participate in class.

“It has speakers and microphones and cameras, and when the child speaks at home or in the hospital to his iPad it just comes out,” said Dolva.

The avatar was designed to be resilient - water resistant⁴ and tough enough to withstand a fall from a desk. Inside AV1 is a small computer.

“It's connected to the phone network 4G and that is connected to a small card that controls the robot,” said Marius Aabel, another co-founder of No Isolation.

There’s a reason for its size and slightly humanoid appearance.

“It can’t be just a tiny camera because the other kids can’t pick it up and take it with them. This supposed to be their friend,” explained Dolva.

The robot just became available to the public, helping⁵ some children feel a lot less lonely.

1 recuperating   

v.恢复（健康、体力等），复原( recuperate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He's still recuperating from his operation. 他动了手术，还在恢复。
• He is recuperating from a serious back injury. 他背部受了重伤，目前正在康复中。 来自辞典例句

2 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

3 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

4 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。