IBM's Watson Inspires A Child's Toy - InformationWeek

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Comments
IBM’s Watson Inspires A Child’s Toy
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impactnow
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impactnow,
 User Rank: Author
2/25/2015 | 11:50:11 AM
Re: Next-Gen Teddy Ruxpin

Very interesting I like the concept especially for young children. While I love my voice search tools on my phone and kindle safety is a concern for my child, searches can still yield questionable results. It would be great if it had a screen for visual backup or a tablet attached to its belly.

David Wagner
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David Wagner,
 User Rank: Strategist
2/19/2015 | 2:55:58 PM
Re: Next-Gen Teddy Ruxpin
@stratustician- I love this idea. I volunteer the IWeek Community. I think we throw a big party at Interop or somewhere and we invite all the IWeek people to get drunk and then we bring in some sober voice activiation experts to learn from us. :)
David Wagner
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David Wagner,
 User Rank: Strategist
2/19/2015 | 2:54:42 PM
Re: Next-Gen Teddy Ruxpin
@Kelly22- Unfortunately, parents have had to deal with this with baby monitors, nanny cams, and all sorts of stuff already. I believe in a connected world, but  I have to say I wouldn't have STARTED so much in the child space. But it seems like parents want conveneince so much that is where the money is.
David Wagner
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David Wagner,
 User Rank: Strategist
2/19/2015 | 2:52:05 PM
Re: Next-Gen Teddy Ruxpin
@vnewman2- Or it could have adware and start trying to sell other toys like Lenovo seems to have been trying to do. there is a problem with trust in everything we buy these days. We used to worry about lead paint. Now we worry about malware. I don't know if it is harder to be a parent these days but it sure does seem to require a borader base of IT knowledge.
David Wagner
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David Wagner,
 User Rank: Strategist
2/19/2015 | 2:49:32 PM
Re: Next-Gen Teddy Ruxpin
@progman2000- I don't know if it a bug or a feature when a kid asks about colors and the toy comes back with 50 Shades or Grey. :)

No, seriously, I get the issue. My general experience with my kids is that things fly right over theirs heads until they're ready for them, and then when they "get it" they were ready anyway. Still, I'd rather make the mistake than my toy making it.
Kelly22
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Kelly22,
 User Rank: Strategist
2/19/2015 | 2:09:02 PM
Re: Next-Gen Teddy Ruxpin
I never thought of that! You know the Internet of Things is going too far when you have to worry about a kid's toy getting hacked...
David Wagner
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David Wagner,
 User Rank: Strategist
2/18/2015 | 5:14:45 PM
Re: Next-Gen Teddy Ruxpin
@Kelly22- I always thought of Furbies as Gremlins. They were fine as long as you didn't get them wet or feed them after midnight. :)

Seriously though, what is up with the creep factor in kids toys these days? i know not everything can look like kermit the frog, but it seems like everything is the stuff of nightmares lately.
David Wagner
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David Wagner,
 User Rank: Strategist
2/18/2015 | 5:12:46 PM
Re: Next-Gen Teddy Ruxpin
@TerryB- The hardest one for me is when my kids would wait until two seconds before we arrived at school or something to ask what happens when you die.

I suspect certain questions have a programmed answer  like "ask your parents" and if they don't, they soon will. :)
David Wagner
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David Wagner,
 User Rank: Strategist
2/18/2015 | 5:11:23 PM
Re: Next-Gen Teddy Ruxpin
@vnewman2- I get that. I would assume good parents would use this to supplement human contact rather than replace it. And I've seen too many parents fake an answer rather than Google something. So I think I'd rather the child have a backup plan. :)

That said, you are right to never think a toy can replace human contact.
David Wagner
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David Wagner,
 User Rank: Strategist
2/18/2015 | 5:09:27 PM
Re: Next-Gen Teddy Ruxpin
@Stratustician- I can imagine voice recognition is tough with children considering I can't get my phone to understand me and they let me talk on the radio. :)

It would be nice if you could use this technology to try to learn the speech patterns of a child where they might be struggling. Hopefully that's in version 2.0.
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