Attending Family Gatherings by Robot: “How I Can Escape Isolation from Time to Time”
Once a globetrotter, Dejan Lauber is now confined to his two-room apartment. A robot, however, gives him access to the outside world.
Dejan Lauber, 34, developed ME/CFS after a civilian service assignment in Madagascar. For years he has been unable to leave his apartment and lives with constant physical exhaustion, carefully rationing his limited energy. His symptoms include burning muscles, severe fatigue and shortness of breath, and overexertion can worsen his condition. Once adventurous and active, his daily life is now confined to his two-room apartment, where even short visits are only possible on good days.
To stay connected with the outside world and his family, Lauber uses a small robot that he controls with his phone. The robot visits his father, joins family gatherings, plays games with relatives and allows shared moments despite physical separation. Through the robot, Lauber can see, hear and explore his surroundings and occasionally take part in activities such as being placed on a horse, a car roof or a floating mattress at sea. He says this helps him escape isolation from time to time.
Lauber receives a full disability pension, and his parents and relatives support him daily with meals, shopping and household tasks. With family and friends, he also builds robots for other chronically ill people through the Botkins Charity Project, which has already distributed several devices. He earns no money from the project and says it gives his situation a sense of meaning.
s4me.info
