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Texas Teen Uses Robot to Remotely Attend High School Classes

by Amar Toor on February 4, 2011 at 02:35 PM

lyndon baty and the vgo robot
Lyndon Baty's weakened immune system won't allow him to attend classes at his local high school in Knox City, Texas. Fortunately, though, there's a robot capable of doing that for him.

Baty, who suffers from Polycystic Kidney Disease, is now remotely attending his freshman classes via a VGO robot, which allows him to interact with his teachers and fellow students from the comfort of his own home. All the teen has to do is log on from his laptop, turn on his webcam, and use the 'bot's video conferencing system to sit in on classes. As soon as the bell rings, Baty can wheel his four-foot robot to his next class, using a remote control system.

Until now, Baty's condition has confined him to his house, where he never had the chance to even indirectly engage with his teachers -- or, more importantly, his peers. "My best friends were my parents," the student said. "No offense against them, but I want other friends." When school officials received a chance phone call from 'bot manufacturer VGO Communications, they decided to explore the option, and ultimately purchased the robot for $5,000. Clearly, the investment has paid off. "It's absolutely amazing," Lyndon gushed. "I would have never thought when I was sick that I would ever have any interaction, much less this kind. It is just like I am there in the classroom."

Tags: classes, high school, HighSchool, lyndon baty, LyndonBaty, robot, Robots, school, sick, students, teachers, teens, texas, top, vgo, vgo communications, vgo+robot, VgoCommunications, vgorobot, WebCam

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