Joshua Martinangeli, 7, is too sick to go to school. But the German schoolboy can still communicate with his teacher and classmates through a robotic avatar that sits in his seat in the classroom and sends a blinking signal when he has something to say.
“The kids talk to him, laugh with him, and sometimes even chat with him during class. Joshi can do that pretty well, too,” said Ute Winterberg, principal of Berlin’s Pusteblume-Grundschule.
Joshua is unable to attend classes because he wears a tube around his neck due to a severe lung condition.
The project is a private initiative funded by the local council of Berlin’s Marzahn-Hellersdorf district.
“We are the only district in Berlin that bought four avatars for its schools. The push was COVID-19, but I think this will be the future far beyond the pandemic. From time to time, for a variety of reasons, a child can’t go to class in person. Then an avatar can give that child a chance to stay a part of the school community,” said district education counselor Thorsten Kühne.
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