in what's believed to be a uk first, the technology means jade gadd from county durham will be able toruth holliday explains. jade and r2—b2, the robot. together, they are a team that means she can really go places without leaving home. he will be taking her place in the classroom at sixth form as she takes maths, further maths and physics a—levels. he moves side to side and his head moves up and down, i can change the colour of his head to say whether i am feeling well enough to participate in class or not. i can wave or ask a question with it, as well as obviously being able to hear and see and speak through him. r2—b2‘s high—definition camera means he can take in everything that is happening in the classroom. he can even read the fine print in a maths textbook. jade has ehlers—danlos syndrome, a rare condition that means she's often bedbound for weeks at a time. i have seizures, i pass out, i have very little energy, very painful dislocations, insomnia, all that kind of thing. so that means a lot of the time it is very hard to get into school and to stay in school. despite that, she