When VGo, was first introduced the use cases were very clear. They showed off VGo robots being used as receptionists. They also showed people who used the VGo to work remotely. One engineer showed off how he could use a VGo at his companies main office in San Francisco and easily tele-commute from his New York home with a lot more interaction then a regular telecommuting set up.

Now VGo is making it’s way into the classroom.

VGo is helping kids who couldn’t attend class, attend virtually. But what’s better is that VGo isn’t just supplying a conduit for education, the VGo allows bed-ridden students and students that can’t attend school because of allergies or treatments, attend class, and become more socially involved.

The VGo robot has a screen where the people around it can see the person behind the other end of the controls. It also has a camera so that the user can see what VGo sees. VGo can be controlled to remotely drive around a room and even find it’s spot in class.

So with VGo a remote student can drive his or her robot into class and park where he or she would normally sit. The student will see what the class sees in terms of the lesson being taught by the teacher. The student will hear the teacher, the other students and see anything that teacher should put on the white board, just as if they were in class.

VGo has also added a set of bright LED lights that will allow the student to “raise their hand” while at home or in the hospital so that they can interactively participate.

What’s better though, is after the class is over, VGo can be remotely driven to the hallway, the next class and even the cafeteria. The student behind the VGo can wheel the robot right up to the lunch table and cut up, tell jokes and otherwise talk to all of his or her friends during lunch hour. Of course they can race during recess too, but the VGo student may have an unfair advantage.

It’s the social aspect and the virtual participation that makes attending classes a lot easier for the student to handle emotionally. They can stay caught up to what’s happening in real time and they can rely on the teacher to easily answer questions and help with assignments. Before technology like VGo families would have to hire tutors or resort to home schooling when a student couldn’t attend classes.

You can find out more about VGo here 

Check out more of our coverage of the Florida Educational Technology Conference here.