Android Powered DragonBot Is Quite Possibly The Coolest “Toy” Of The Year
If the idea of a child’s “toy” actually learning from you and uploading that information to the cloud to share with fellow toys scares you — you’re not the only one. But you gotta admit. It sounds pretty cool.
That’s exactly what these Android powered DragonBot’s do. These cute little fellers were first designed to help pre-schoolers learn language by researchers at MIT, Harvard and Northeastern. But they don’t just teach language, they actually take visual cues using an Android phone’s built-in, front facing camera to display animations for the eyes and mouth with unique expressions. I know, this is blowing your mind right now. Me too. When attached, the phone is actually the brains of the “toy,” acting as its central nervous system, moving it around and most importantly… learning. And as I mentioned before, when it learns, it uploads the information to the cloud so the other DragonBots can learn too.
The DragonBot can also be controlled using an app and an Android and pricing for the DragonBot should come in at under $1,000 which means unless you’re a rapper waiting for your next multiplatinum album to drop, you may have to wait a couple more years for the price to drop. At the very least we know our DragonBot is out there. And waiting.
Now… if only I could make it love me. At least something would… (sniffle)
[MIT Media Lab | Spectrum IEEE | Via Gizmodo]