How Android is Transforming Learning & Playing Infographic

Smart toys are already here! A smaller Android OS, tiny open-source development platforms, 3D printers and innovative creators will change everything we know about storytelling, user interface and player engagement. The recent 4.4 Android KitKat has made the operating system ideal for developing interactive, smart toys that not only change the way we used to play, but also foster interactive learning like never before. The How Android is Transforming Learning & Playing Infographic presents how Android powered toys are changing the way play and learn.

Why is Android OS ideal for smart toys?

The new OS has smaller footprint:

Google shrank the operating Systeml by 16% in Android KitKat 4.4
Runs with only 512MB of RAM
June 2014 - Worldwide KitKat 4.4 distribution jumped 5% in one month!

New Android focuses on “Material Design”

New interface with 3D rendered Material Design
OS, will be embedded in cars, wearable computing and television
ART, or Android Run Time, greatly improves performance by compiling apps at install time instead of run time

How Android is Transforming the Way We Learn

Android is being used to develop educational environments that use:

Location aware learning
Sensors for behavioural learning
Gaming
Near field communications
Context-aware ubiquitous learning
Simulation
Augmented reality

An Innovative Smart Toy of Today: The Sphebo 2.0 Robotic Ball by Orbotix

Outside the ball:

Fast rolling, water-resistant, glow-in-the-dark robotic ball
Plays augmented reality (AR) games
Programmable, encourages kids to learn coding

Inside the ball:

Complete system with wireless battery charging
Microcontroller
Bluetooth classic wireless interface
Second ARM process to run Bluetooth stack
Colored LEDs
Motor driver
Gyroscope sensor

The Toys of the Future: Android Powered AI

These open-source platforms with boards as small as matchboxes will provide more intelligence, wearables and robotics to create multi-format smart toys. Running android inside these toys makes them more self contained. You don’t need a phone to control them!

The RloTbhoard
2D & 3D graphics accelerator

HDMI 1080p video
WaRP board Wearable Reference Platform
Open-sourced hybrid architecture for wearable computing
Freescale provided controllers, sensors & wireless charging

BeagleBone Black
Community-supported development platform
Provides stable Android base port

Android, Robotics & Cloud Computing

Cloud robotics uses massive storage and provides more memory while using less battery power. This makes robots less expensive with added cloud enhancements like:

Mapping
Voice
Text
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

These, along with other applications and enhancements, could create robots that can learn.

5 Great Things about Android-Based Toys

Easier to program - focus is more on the intelligence than on the mechanics
Fully self contained - you don’t need to have a phone, tablet or computer to control it
Very advanced sensor framework already built in - leverages the camera/gyroscope/accelerometer and other sensors to introduce awesome interactions
Vast pool of developers who can innovate and add personalities to toys - think of the toy as a platform as well as an end product
The latest and greatest connectivity stacks are already built in - BT-LE, WiFi Direct, WiFi, cellular stacks, and much more!

How Smart Toys Promote Smarter Learning

Multi-literate activities
Interpretation of complex, 3D visuals
Reading text on & offline
Processing auditory information

The role of technology in children’s lives cannot be overlooked.This generation is using technology as their coming-of-age play source, as past generations have done by moving to other items or methods of play as they aged.

Via: http://blog.hsc.com/android/android-devices-at-home/smart-toys/