The power of technology
QUEEN OF COOL: Former first lady Jackie Kennedy MORE than my pride was punctured the other day. I blew out not one but two tyres and it was totally my fault. I somehow managed to clip the kerb at about 30mph.
BANG!!! That was the front nearside one shredded. BANG!!! There went the rear one. No slow punctures these. Warning lights merrily lit up the dashboard instantly plus the words: “Check tyre pressures!” No need – my car was already canting at an unnatural angle like the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.
I got out to inspect the damage. Aargh. Horrible. Two nearly new tyres KIDS with chronic illnesses and conditions tend to miss out on a lot of school and no matter how bright they are, their prospects in education can flicker and dim.
Not for Jade Gadd. Not now, anyway – and that’s all down to a two-foot high dwarf robot she has nicknamed C-3PO. The little chap will go to school on Jade’s behalf when she is unwell and attend lessons for her.
The 17-year-old has a rare debilitating disorder which can leave her confined to bed for weeks at a time. Despite that she achieved excellent GCSE grades but A-levels are a trickier proposition. Now, thanks to a pioneering robotics company, Jade is trialling a truly futuristic and groundbreaking new programme. looked like they’d been attacked by a mad axeman. I looked around me. We were on a small B-road miles out in the Cornish countryside. No sign of a house or any other kind of building.
I checked my phone. No signal (of course). I knew there was a garage about six miles up the road. Maybe if I went really slowly I could make it there without damaging the wheel rims.
While I thought about it, it started to rain. Decision made.
And then the angels arrived. Two of them. Andy and Kresha, in a hatchback. They saw me crawling along, hazards flashing, and pulled over. “Need a hand?” I showed them the tyres, now C-3PO will be popped in a taxi on days when Jade is poorly and dropped off at her college. He’ll be plonked on her classroom desk, switched on and then he’ll call home via wifi.
Jade will operate her little friend from her bed by remote control. His 360-degree camera provides live pictures and sound so she can hear her teacher and classmates. If she wants to join in, a blue light flashes on top of C-3PO’s head and she can speak to them through the robot’s voicebox. If she wants to whisper conspiratorially to the student sitting at the next desk, she has a click for that too.
It’s a wonderful development and if successful could be rolled out across the country.
Jade’s verdict: “Beyond cool.”
GuaRdian anGels Got us out of a sticky spot
running hot to the touch. “You mustn’t drive in this,” Andy said quietly. “You’ll damage your wheel rims. There’s a lay-by just round that next bend. Pull in there and we’ll run you to the garage.”
Which they did. And then, while I negotiated the wearisome business of getting a car with not one but two flat tyres into safe harbour, the couple gently insisted on driving a grateful Judy home, a further six or seven miles out of their way. Quiet, calm and the epitome of good Samaritans.
Andy and Kresha. We know where you live. We’ll be round. With wine. A very nice rosé, actually.
Named? Whispering Angel.