A few years ago, talking to your speaker like it’s a personal assistant would have made you look like an absolute nut. These days, it’s par for the course. So much so, in fact, that small children are going to get in on the action, too, courtesy of the Nabi Aristotle.
Consisting of a speaker and a camera bundle, the system works much like regular virtual assistants, albeit with a bigger focus on entertaining, teaching, and assisting children. It’s designed to vary its assistance based on the child’s age, too, serving as a baby monitor during infancy, a storyteller during their toddler years, and a full-on digital companion that can help them with homework during their school-age years.
Billed as a “connected kids platform,” the Nabi Aristotle incorporates voice, sight, and sound in a single bundle, all while interfacing with three distinct AI engines (Microsoft Cognitive Services, Silk Intelligence Platform, and Cortana Intelligence), enabling it to facilitate deep levels of interaction with its pre-teen users. Not only can it answer questions and follow commands, that deep AI can help soothe a crying child, help reinforce good habits, and help teach them a new language, all while being capable of ordering baby supplies on its own and making up activities to do on the fly.
Features include COPPA-compliant security methods to ensure child privacy safety, the ability for parents to set parameters for how it interacts with children, and integrated multi-color lighting that can serve a variety of needs, including a night light, a reading light, and a way to add visual elements to the interactions. It comes with an SDK and will have built-in connectivity with various internet-of-things products.
Slated to debut in June, the Nabi Aristotle is priced at $300.