Image source: (KFDX)

BY JENNIFER MECKLES

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High school freshman Lyndon Baty has been called the “Real Life Bubble Boy” -- stuck at home, alone, until NOW... San Antonio’s KENS has his amazing story:

“Freshman Lyndon Baty suffers from a genetic disorder that's left him with a compromised immune system -- Which makes it impossible for him to go to school.  But thanks to new robotic technology called ‘V-GO’ -- Baty can be in the classroom ‘virtually’ with his friends.”

The V-GO acts like an avatar for Baty - it rolls through school hallways and uses a video chat screen for communication - all controlled by Baty from his computer at home. (KFDX)

It’s the first time this technology has been used in a school setting. Texas NBC affiliate KFDX reports how the opportunity came around:

“We had a salesman call on us and say - we’ve got this product, we’re not exactly sure how it might work in a school. But we wanted you to see it.”

Lyndon calls his V-GO the “Baty Bot.” His story has tech media looking forward to how this technology will impact future generations:

The Escapist says:

“The VGO reminds us, just in case we forgot, that we're living in the future. Fast-forward 20 years, and I bet schools and workplaces will be filled with more VGOs than humans.”

Geeky Gadgets agrees:

“We have a feeling that decades from now, when robots have finally threaded their services into our everyday lives, historians would look back on these years and dub it a golden age for robotkind.”

But Mobile Computing News reminds us this is still a HUMAN story:

“It’s easy to get lost in back-of-the-box details like spec and speed which ultimately really don't matter...  it has made a fundamental difference in Lyndon Baty’s life, and where technology is able to enable people like that is always something we need to stand back and take notice of.”

Lyndon tells Meredith Vieira on the Today Show he, too, wants to be a journalist someday. On the show -- the two test out the technology and take a studio tour:

MEREDITH VIEIRA: "Can you walk this way?"

LYNDON BATY: "Yup -- I think you’re there."

MEREDITH VIEIRA: "There you go. Over here, do you see what's in front of me?"

LYNDON BATY: "Yup."

MEREDITH VIEIRA: "Do you know what that is?"

LYNDON BATY: "Nope."

MEREDITH VIEIRA: "That's Matt Lauer’s desk. His chair. And he’s not in it! How would you like to take it over one day?"

LYNDON BATY: "Right now!"

Lyndon hopes to get back on a kidney transplant list soon, and someday attend high school in person.
 

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