Lego Everybody

It’s not a surprise. Many are doing Lego now. Some put lights inside. I like the opportunities for interconnectivity. Look at the Cubelets.

Robots

Assembled

From WowWee with predefined programs, reacting to sound and visuals, controllable with your smartphone.

And from Tosy dancing and talking. They can even get hooked into a conversation.

Construction w/o programming

Well-known Modular Robotics has a new cubical kit called MOSS. It feels very valuable with magnets and all kinds of functions.

This is IQ Key:

Everything possible

EZ Robot provides open developer kids for three kinds of robots. You can develop your own programs and exchange them with the community. Toy Fair 2013 and this year we can’t see a lot of 3D Printing. But in this case the robots can be printed all by yourself. Which implys possibillities of changing color, material and even the form.

Stuffed Animals Construction

Genetipetz make “genetic” mashups of animals and create funny new species. With Walrus Toys Chimeras you can create your own new species.

Aviation

Sure there are drones around trying to stay under a 99$ price tag. But here I have a look at planes. One major successful Kickstarter project presents the paper plane solution PowerUp with smartphone remote control. SmartPlane already provides a plane. And Avitron revives the windup bird from the 80s without the windup but a remote control.

Augmentation with Pads

Qualcomm Vuforia is all around with their former R&D department’s open source code for developers. Many brands use it to engage customers of toys and books into using their app (and the other way round), e.g. for unlocking features by simply “filming” that toy which the app recognizes automagically.

Extentions for Pads

There are ways to enrich the tactile interaction with pads to improve the playing experience and the learning process.

Improved Learning

Digipuppets provide finger puppets to control the touch screen and to meet the same puppet animals in the learning apps. Tiggly provides a set of tools to interact with their learning apps.

An impressive approach delivers Tangible Play by leaving you with the original tools like pen & paper, Play Doh, blocks to play and the pad as a mentoring bystander. I can’t publish pictures about it.

Digital Dream Labs brings you a physical programming board, that translates into actions in a game. Play with all you senses is a richer experience and more fun.

Physical Play

There’s a pedometer from ibitz for kids with achievements to unlock in an app. I didn’t think this was necessary.

And one favorite with lots of potential for game design is from Physical Apps. Appeared in 2012. What new ball games / apps can we create?

Toys of the Year