IT IS a poor substitute for the real thing, but the US government is hoping a ‘virtual parent’ could provide emotional support for the children of servicemen and women while they are away on active duty.
The Department of Defense is soliciting proposals for a computer program that would enable young children to interact with a virtual version of their parent. Officials hope it could provide reassurance and general chat when phone or internet contact is not possible.
The DoD believes that ‘the stresses of deployment might be softened if spouses and especially children could conduct simple conversations with their loved ones in immediate times of stress or prolonged absence’.
More than 155,000 kids have at least one parent deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan on military duty.
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