Going online: system to aid children with cancer

TECHNOLOGY allowing children suffering cancer to engage in video-conferencing and live chat with each other from their hospital beds will help young people cope with the disease and could even aid recovery.

The Solas system, developed by experts in Trinity College, was launched yesterday. It will allow children in Crumlin Hospital in Dublin to share their experiences with one another in a secure internet environment.

It will also allow these children to communicate with their home and school while they are in hospital. They can even design their own web space and use the system to create drawings and compose music.