Joshua Martinangeli is unable to attend school due to illness. However, the German student may still communicate with his instructor and classmates via an avatar robot that sits in his place in class and blinks when he has something to say.
Joshua is unable to attend lessons owing to a tube in his neck that he wears due to a serious lung illness, according to his mother, Simone Martinangeli.
“During the lecture, the students converse with him, laugh with him, and even chit chat with him. Everyone is capable of doing so ” , Ute Winterberg, headmistress of the Pusteblume-Grundschule in Berlin, said.
The project is a private initiative funded by the Berlin district of Marzahn-municipal Hellersdorf’s government.
“We are Berlin’s only district that has purchased four avatars for its schools. COVID-19 provided the motivation, but I believe this is the way of the future long beyond the epidemic “Torsten Kuehne, a member of the district education council, agreed.
“It is not uncommon for a youngster to be unable to attend class in person due to a variety of factors. The avatar can then allow the youngster to stay a member of the school community “Kuehne explained.
He went on to say that he has already brought up the subject in state-level political conversations.
When asked if he was looking forward to seeing Joshua again, student Noah Kuessner remarked, “I like it anyway because I like the avatar.”
“And I’d prefer it if Joshi could really come to school,” added Beritan Aslanglu, another student.
