telepresence system for cancer survivors

Sarah (10 years) is suffering from a brain tumor (medulloblastoma). Due to her medical condition, she had a reduced ability to attend to school, so she received a telepresence system. Telepresence systems like robots or avatars are currently being discussed as a promising approach to improve the sense of belonging, social participation, and subsequently academic performance for children with chronic illnesses. One of these telepresence systems specifically designed for chronically ill children is called the avatar and shown in the image below.

The avatar is connected to the tablet of the child by an app and can transmit sound in both directions. Video transmission only works in one direction, so that the user can see their class or classmates but not vice versa. The avatar is handy, can easily be carried and taken along on school trips. The use and possible effects of avatar are examined by Thomas Pletschko and colleagues using the case of Sarah as an example.

Experiences with avatar

Sarah remained an integral part of class and could continue to participate in academic and social life. Switching on the avatar for the first time in a music lesson worked without any problems. Both she and her mother were particularly enthusiastic about the fact that the avatar transmitted Sarah’s voice rather than a robot voice. The teacher reported that getting used to the avatar took only a short time and it was easy to use from the beginning. According to all participants, the assumption of responsibility for the avatar by a classmate was particularly important to draw the teachers’ attention to visual signals and to ensure that the teacher notices Sarah wanting to say something. In terms of social participation, Sarah reported that she “was actually there just like the other students” and “didn’t feel different from the others”. She felt as if “she still belonged to the class” and stated that through the avatar she did not miss anything and could even whisper or chat with her seat neighbors without the teachers noticing. When asked if it is different to be at school with the avatar, Sarah stated that “of course it’s different”, but “it’s both cool and I’m happy on both sides”, meaning she is happy to be at school with the avatar as well as in real life.”.

Challenges with avatar

According to the teacher, a possible challenge arose from the additional preparation for the lessons and the matching of the material to the avatar, as she had to consider “whether this is feasible for Sarah”. Another challenge were technical difficulties, for example when the picture was distorted or the connection broke.

Summary

In summary, all parties (Sarah, her mother and teacher) described predominantly positive experiences with the avatar. Identification with the avatar was strongly present and the avatar was mainly used to stay in contact with classmates, to participate in class activities and also school lessons, which becomes an extraordinary experience in the context of chronic illnesses. Sarah’s experiences with the avatar show that she could stay in contact with her classmates and maintaining her sense of belonging to school, despite not being able to attend classes physically.

Recommended requirements for the implementation
– To maintain social participation, it is necessary that the users have already met their classmates and teachers and gained insight into everyday school life before using an avatar.
– Define people who are in charge of the avatar (e.g. classmates) whose task is to recharge it and take it to different classrooms.
– Additional preparation time for the teachers besides their willingness to implement the avatar into daily routine may be necessary.