During the final week of January, Eleanor Roosevelt High School was visited by a robot. A potential addition to the Home and Hospital Teaching Program, this VGo robot is an alternative to having a tutor teach a student until they are able to return to school.

The robot stands about 4 feet tall and has a camera and monitor so that students can see their classmate.

Some students were selected to test out the robot, such as senior Ishmail Jabbie.

“It was pretty cool,” Jabbie said. “The controls were very easy to understand and it made it possible to interact with the class in real time so it actually feels like you’re there.”

“The robot is a great alternative to Home and Hospital teaching,” said Assistant Principal Ms. Ayanna Briscoe, who was in charge of the VGo while it was here. “It allows the student to interact with students in class as opposed to having live tutors.”

However, both Jabbie and Ms. Briscoe talked about some downfalls of the robot.

Jabbie said, “The Wi-Fi in the building is poor in some places and it messed up the connection. This could be a problem if there is an important discussion occurring in class.”

Another problem that may arise, according to Science and Technology Program Coordinator Ms. Jane Hemelt, stems from the fact that the robot lacks arms. “The computer has no arms, it cannot open doors,” Ms. Hemelt said. “The computer cannot go up and down stairs.”

Ms. Briscoe was worried about the cost. “This robot is $5000,” said Ms. Briscoe. She explained, that the county has to decide if having multiple robots in multiple schools is a realistic cost to add into the budget. “A cheaper option for students would be to Skype or FaceTime into class.”

Skype or FaceTime are free and the school could potentially use technology that is already currently in the building.

Jabbie pointed out the problem with receiving handouts. “There is no way to physically receive any papers and I am not sure how you would take a test or pop quiz. I would assume that the teacher would get [handouts and papers] to you beforehand.”

Both Ms. Briscoe and Jabbie agreed that the VGo is a good option that allows personal interaction with students at school.