The conversation inspired Ms. Dolva, who was working as a digital consultant at the time, to research the effects of social isolation on young people. “We were surprised,” Ms. Dolva, the company’s chief executive, said in a Skype interview. “We couldn’t really grasp that technology hadn’t already solved this problem.”The unit, whose role Ms. Dolva likened to that of a video game avatar, has no intelligence of its own. But its white plastic housing covers a camera, microphone and speaker that a student can operate from a smartphone or tablet. (There is even a “whisper” feature that lets the student engage in a hushed exchange with nearby classmates.)

Source: New York Times September 03, 2018 09:22 UTC