One way to get us excited at Built In is to invent something we can describe with a Minority Report reference. And
made our day by delivering on that dream — at least partially.
The company, which was featured on our list of 50 startups to watch in 2016, is experimenting with bluetooth beacons, the interactive hardware making brick-and-mortar retail stores an interactive — if occasionally creepy — experience that bridges the gap with e-commerce. But instead of sending product information to shoppers’ phones, Jackrabbit is installing them on plain, old, offline kids’ toys.
“We started exploring how kids learn and what forms of entertainment kids use ,” Marion wrote today in a post on the company's website. “What if toys could educate, interact and communicate directly with children?”
Preliminary results of the test have been mostly adorable, if not exactly revolutionary. But the potential is obvious.
In the video below, a beacon on a tray of toy cookies senses when five-year-old Birdie puts them in a play oven, triggering a change in the interactive recipe she's following on her tablet and watch.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXrrBEhcEbc width:600 autoplay:0]
Jackrabbit favors the Android Wear watch as a companion for digital play because it's unobtrusive, relatively affordable and can function without pairing with a phone. Jackrabbit tested prototypes of other applications with hundreds of kids at the TedX Youth Austin xLabs. Those included controlling a drone by moving the wrist wearing an Android Wear watch.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40SA0_qGyhk width:600 autoplay:0]
Their findings, compiled in this technical summary, inspired a long list of possibilities.
But one of those is adding additional screen time to the lives of a generation of kids already overstimulated by tech.
“Yes, we are adding screen time,” Marion said. “But it’s with a new layer of interaction and communication that doesn’t currently exist in a scalable way. Our prototype aims at enabling this new layer to sit on top of existing, unconnected products, opening up numerous new opportunities around education, gamification and interaction.”
Marion said the next phase of his team’s tinkering will involve applications for museums, security and integrating drones and virtual reality.
“Next up the team plans to improve the distance, speed and signal issues that are seen commonly among those using beacons. We’ll also be launching more Labs projects soon – so if you dig Drone and/or VR technology you’ll really enjoy what’s next!”
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