- Below is the content from the press release--
Providing a new reading experience that nurtures children's interests
(DNP) has developed a prototype of the "Magical Insect Glasses" (tentative name), which uses AI (artificial intelligence) to convey the "joy of knowing" to children and foster their interest and concern. This prototype is the successor to the same demonstration device*1 announced in December 2020, and aims to realize communication that deepens the "bond between parents and children" using a smartphone.
In order to nurture children's interest and provide them with a "reading experience of the joy of knowing", Akachan Honpo will hold a "BabyTech TOUCH" event at the Akachan Honpo TOC shop (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo) on Saturday 26 June, Sunday 27 June, Saturday 3 July and Sunday 4 July 2021 from 10am to 6pm. BabyTech TOUCH in akachanhonpo "*2 will be held at the Akachanhonpo TOC store (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo) from 10 to 18:00 on June 26, June 27, July 3 and July 4.
Features of the "Magical Bug Goggles" prototype
- "MAGICAL INSECT GLASSES" IS A "MAGICAL" INFORMATION DEVICE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO HOLD THE AI-EQUIPPED "INSECT GLASSES" OVER A BOOK, ETC., AND THE AI WILL RECOGNISE TEXT, PICTURES, PHOTOS, ILLUSTRATIONS, ETC., AND TELL YOU THE CONTENTS WITH VOICE AND MUSIC.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT A PICTURE BOOK WITH THE "MUSHI MEGANE", IT RECOGNIZES THE CHARACTERS AND THE SCENE AND PLAYS THE MOST SUITABLE READING VOICE AND BACKGROUND MUSIC.
When you look at a picture book or an object with the "insect glasses", it recognizes the object and plays back the most appropriate sound effect or description.
The contents of a child's peek are saved as an archive and can be viewed on a parent's smartphone app.
- The December 2020 demo device consisted of two parts: a device that recognised the object held over it and a controller that played a sound. The new prototype is linked to a smartphone and the load-bearing processing is carried out by the smartphone.
- IT IS POSSIBLE TO USE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE PICTURE BOOKS AND ILLUSTRATED BOOKS AS THEY ARE. WHEN THE CHILD HOLDS UP THE MAGICAL INSECT GOGGLES TO AN OBJECT OF INTEREST, AUDIO AND BACKGROUND MUSIC WILL BE PLAYED IN THE CASE OF PICTURE BOOKS, AND IN THE CASE OF ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, SOUNDS OF CREATURES, VEHICLES AND EXPLANATIONS WILL BE HEARD FROM THE SPEAKERS.
- "A record of the images seen by the child with the Magical Bug Goggles is sent to the parent's smartphone and then to the cloud for storage. The parent can then listen to the audio corresponding to the images the child sees on their own smartphone. We have also added a new feature that allows you to view your child's activity lifelog and analyse their interests. These features allow children to share their world and interests, and help to create and deepen communication between parents and children.
"Possible uses of the magic bug glasses
- Learning at home and in kindergarten and nursery school: by holding the child up to picture books and illustrated books, the child learns letters and objects and develops a desire and interest in learning.
- English learning: Hold the device up to teaching materials or familiar objects and listen to the English sound back to learn English.
- Explanations in museums: By holding the device over a work of art, the user can "discover" information (anecdotes, etc.) hidden in the work.
"Magical bug glasses (prototype)
Demonstration experiment at BabyTechTOUCH, an interactive showrooming event
As a demonstration experiment using the "Magical Bug Glasses" prototype, a hands-on event will be held on Saturdays and Sundays during " BabyTech TOUCH in akachanhonpo " (Thursday 10 June to Friday 9 July). The aim of this experiment is to verify the value of the user experience and to test the usability of the devices.
- Date and time of the demonstration : Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 June 2021,
Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 July from 10am to 6pm
*Please note that this is not the same as the opening hours of the shops. - Venue : Akachan Honpo TOC Store (TOC Building 5F, 7-22-17 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)
- Access : 8-minute walk from Gotanda Station on the JR Yamanote Line and Toei Subway, 6-minute walk from Osaki-Hirokoji Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line.
- How to participate : Participation is free of charge and no booking is required.
Future developments
As the trend towards DX accelerates throughout society, DNP is promoting the development of DX human resources and teams capable of realizing everything from service design to actual product and service development, and this prototype was born as part of this effort. In addition, as part of its focus on "data distribution-related" and "IoT and next-generation communications-related" businesses, DNP is also focusing on developing services that make use of its longstanding relationships with the publishing industry and expanding into the education sector.
DNP will be seeking co-creation partners to expand new reading experiences using "Magical Insect Glasses", and will promote commercialization through repeated demonstration tests at events related to storytelling and children.
*1 Developed a demo unit of "Magical Insect Glasses" that uses AI to make sounds pop out from picture books:
Released on December 2, 2020 https://www.dnp.co.jp/news/detail/10158928_1587. html
*2 Launch of "BabyTech TOUCH", a hands-on showrooming event to find technologies that will become "partners in childcare":
Released on 13 May 2021 https://www.dnp.co.jp/news/detail/10160856_1587.html
The names of the companies and products mentioned above are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.
* The information contained herein is current as of the date of publication. All information is current as of the date of publication and may differ from the latest information.
