Robot To Attend School For 10-year-old Cancer Patient

POOLESVILLE, Md. (AP) -- A Maryland girl currently undergoing treatment for cancer will be attending school with the help of a robot.

Ten-year-old Peyton Walton of Montgomery County will soon undergo cancer treatment for five weeks at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. During that time, a robot she calls "Peyton's Awesome Virtual Self," or PAVS, will attend school for her at Poolesville Elementary School.

The robot combines an iPad screen with a rolling base. Walton will see and hear what the robot observes. She'll control the robot with an app and be able to respond to people talking with her. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity tie the remote user to the robot's iPad and the iPad to the roller.

Walton's friends helped her pay the robot's $3,000 cost.

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