The era of smart toys: challenges and opportunities

We have already talked a lot about the generally recognized consumer electronics frontier – the Internet of Things. We've touched upon everything smart: from the remote control, lighting, and locks to home kits and mesh protocols. But there is one more outstanding aspect we want to mention today: smart toys. The Internet of Toys concept quickly gains popularity, with more toys becoming connected.

These gadgets surely are catchy, fun, and educational. Anyways, some parents recognize them as potentially dangerous. What do my children learn from connected toys? How do toys change the way they play? Are they safe? Which digital skills do parents need to keep up? And perhaps the most important question: who’s the boss? The child or the toy? Such concerns are reasonable, however, the market is rapidly moving to the point where it can offer trustworthy solutions.

One of the greatest solutions in this sphere is voice-controlled digital assistants designed exclusively for children. They are structurally similar to Alexa from Amazon, but with the main purpose of helping a child to follow their daily routine. Brushing teeth or doing homework hints, bedroom lighting controlling, streaming music and audiobooks or simply answering questions are among the tasks they can perform.

The primary focus here put on moving away from the screens. A kid should interact with a toy, not with all the software and hardware. The applications must stay in the background. This greatly helps parents in the desire of their child “digital diet” full of educational content and entertainment at the same time. We shouldn’t neglect the importance of playing while educating a child: it is the real work of childhood. 

Pure play with a side effect of learning is key to creating balanced people in life. It's crucial to note here that the combination of authentic play experience and technology becomes possible only if the technology designed properly. All the privacy & security features must be a priority here.

Luckily, Promwad engineering team now have the opportunity to engage in such projects. Our IoT partner, Telink, offers a cutting edge Bluetooth technology for smart toys. It provides a cost-effective, low power, and secure platform for IoT applications including smart toys. 

The connected toys market is only developing, and this is a great chance to design something innovative and successful. Contact us to discuss your idea and enrich the hyper-connected world of the Internet of Toys. 

Image source: Unsplash, Flickr, Telink Semiconductor