My robot makes me feel like I haven't been forgotten

Internet-connected robots that can stream audio and video are increasingly helping housebound sick children and elderly people keep in touch with teachers, family and friends, combating the scourge of isolation and loneliness.

Zoe Johnson, 16, hasn't been to school since she was 12.

She went to the doctor in 2014 "with a bit of a sore throat", and "somehow that became A&E [accident and emergency]," says her mother, Rachel Johnson.

The doctors diagnosed myalgic encephalomyelitis, ME for short, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - a debilitating illness affecting the nervous and immune systems.

Zoe missed a lot of school but was able to continue with her studies with the help of an online tutor.

But "over the years her real-world friendships disappeared because she's not well enough to see anybody," says Ms Johnson.

For the last three months, though, she has been taking classes alongside her former classmates using a "telepresence" robot called AV1.

The small, cute-looking robot, made by Oslo-based start-up No Isolation, sits in the classroom and live streams video and audio back to Zoe's tablet or smartphone at home. She can speak through the robot and take part in lessons, also controlling where AV1 is looking.

When she wants to ask a question the robot's head starts blinking on and off to alert the teacher. And when she's too tired or sick to participate she can turn AV1's head blue as a signal.

"It makes my life a lot more exciting and makes me feel like I haven't been forgotten," Zoe says.

With the robot's help she was able to take five GCSE exams this year.

"We're celebrating because she did so much better than we ever dared hope," says Ms Johnson.

Zoe is going on to study History A-level and is looking forward to doing so "with my friends, rather than on my own at home".

Karen Dolva, the 27-year old Norwegian co-founder of No Isolation, says a friend working as a nurse in a children's ward "mentioned these kids were miserable and only seeing their families," she says.

She and two friends - all three with a background in engineering and technology - talked to the children and discovered that smartphones and messaging apps weren't enough to address their feelings of isolation.

"We realised the kids needed to have a presence somewhere they weren't," says Ms Dolva.

But the children also said they felt "more comfortable when they didn't have to be on display". So although AV1 enables children to see and hear what's going on in the classroom, other children can only hear her voice through the robot's speaker.

Other telepresence robots feature two-way video.  By BBC