Kids with cancer often fall woefully behind in their education, missing months and even years of school. Currently, hospitals provide online learning and tutors but our research showed the adequacy of these resources was lacking with the online subject matter rarely suiting the child's needs, and the tutors being provided for only one hour per day. We re-imagined a solution using a steerable video camera attached to a lapel sized stuffed animal, which would allow the patient to be part of the classroom when he/she was up to it and it worked with his/her schedule. The patient could be in the hospital, clinic, or any remote location to watch the video asynchronously, or be facing a virtual reality (VR) wall in order to participate in the classroom in real time. The asynchronous choice would protect his/her appearance and the dreaded feeling of looking different or “weird”, as well as accommodate his/her schedule, and would still give the patient the option to participate in the classroom with audio only on his end. 

How it Works:

Clippy, as we called this portable camera, clips onto a stuffed animal and provides audio and video functions similar to a Skype. On days when the child isn’t feeling good enough to go to class, the light is red, and the teacher will turn Clippy’s recording function on manually by pressing the light down so as to record class. When he is active, the light is green. During lunch and recess, his friends can clip Clippy to their shirts so they can play together. On field trip days, the child will come along with his class via clipping to his teacher’s lapel. 

There are 3 functional buttons on the VR wall: 1) the microphone button, which he presses when he wants his voice to be transmitted to the classroom, 2) the face button when he wants his face visible, and 3) the raise hand button, which makes Clippy’s light blink so the teacher knows that he wants to answer a question. The child can also see all of the classroom by intuitively swiping and scrolling to steer Clippy. When he/she is feeling well enough to go to class, he/she turns Clippy on and is immediately (albeit remotely) in the classroom.