A city in Japan plans to let robots attend classes in place of students who miss them due to ANXIETY, STRESS and other MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. ⁠ ⁠ Equipped with cameras, microphones and speakers, the robots allow students to view and hear lectures, participate in discussions and work with their classmates. The bots, controlled remotely, can also be piloted around the campus, allowing students to participate in extracurricular activities and school-wide events.⁠ ⁠ The plan was conceived by the Board of Education of the city of Kumamoto in Kyushu Island. According to their data, around 2,760 students in elementary and middle school did not show up to school in the last academic year, doubling figures from 2018, according to The Mainichi Shimbun. The educators believe that anxiety issues, particularly difficulty in social interactions, may be responsible for the truancy.⁠ ⁠ A spokesperson from Kumamoto’s Board of Education said:⁠ “These robots provide a way to lower the hurdle to participa...