Smart children’s building blocks create real time 3D animation on tablets

Chinese startup has created an instant, mixed reality experience for children to take them away from constant electronic device use.

The current generation of under ten-year-olds will grow to be the group that never knew a life before electronic devices invaded all aspects of day-to-day life. Prying children away from such devices can be difficult, but Chinese design company Paracra Technology have created a hybrid of the virtual and real world with Logitow.

Logitow features children’s building blocks with a modern day twist – the smart blocks are integrated with technology that enables builds to appear on a tablet screen via its adjoined app, creating 3D animations of what the child is making. Shenzhen-based Paracra estimates that 80 percent of time a child takes interacting with the game is spent with hands-on building, with the remaining 20 percent being screen viewing. Aside from the benefits of taking children away from screens, the company hopes the creative building will help drive children’s imagination, with the Logitow app additionally providing story themes that create hints as to what a child could make next to fit with the narrative. Logitow is set to launch soon, with users having access to 50 percent off when they pre-order.

Having a new-age twist on a traditional children’s pastime is a popular area for technology companies to target, with voice recognition being manipulated to enhance bedtime stories and electronic play dough helping children learn about science being recently innovations hitting the market. How can technology change your company’s approach to age-old tasks?