DEVICE MEANS YOUNGSTER WON’T MISS OUT

A BOY with a rare disease that limits his time in school hopes to send a robot to lessons in his place.

Keir Wallace is one of only two people in the UK and just 27 in the world to have been diagnosed with incurable auto-immune disease FCAS2.

It causes severe joint pain and means the 10-year-old is often too ill to go to school.

Last year, Keir missed a quarter of his classes at St John’s RC School in Portobello, Edinburgh.

But the youngster hopes a robot called the AV1 will prevent him from missing more of his education.

The robot has a 360-degree camera on its head which could beam images from the classroom back to a terminal in Keir’s home.

With the help of a loudspeaker, Keir would also be able to take part in lessons. He would even be able to “put his hand up” to answer questions by using a tablet at home to communicate with the robot.

And if he is in too much pain to take part in the lesson, he can simply sit back and observe.

Keir has put his school tie on the machine so it fits in with fellow pupils.

His family are using the robot on a trial basis but hope Edinburgh City Council will help fund one permanently that he will be able to send to school.

His dad and full-time carer John, 62, said the robot would stop Keir feeling so isolated by helping him spend more time with his friends.

John added: “The robot means Keir would be able to see and speak to everyone that he normally wouldn’t be able to when he’s off school.

“With the robot, he would be able to actively take part in more lessons than he currently does, which is so important for attaining better grades.

“I think this is the ideal solution that deals with Keir’s exact holistic needs.

“I would like the council to help fund the robot which will allow Keir to be a more active student and stop him from missing so much school.”

The robot was first developed by Norwegian firm No Isolation to help children who spent a lot of time in hospital to take part in lessons.

It is specifically designed for those with long-term illnesses and is controlled via an app from the child’s home or bed.

Each robot costs £2000 and a £90 fee is charged for the 4G data link which connects it with the terminal at home.

Edinburgh City Council say they are considering Keir’s request for the robot.