Osmo introduces real-world puzzles for children on iPad

There are numerous companies that are known to make interactive games for children across all ages. Here’s yet another. Osmo is an interactive iPad game designed by Tangible Play for children. The game has been designed by two ex-Googlers one of who is of Indian origin, reports Techcrunch. The game incorporates a series of interactive games which range from puzzles to word games and creative play that are designed for children between the age of 6 and 12.   Pramod Sharma and Jerome Scholler the designers of the game have earlier worked on projects like Google’s book scanning machine and Chrome for Android, respectively, during their stint at Google. They were first spotted demonstrating their games at the TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Alley.  

Like many parents the creators of the game have always been concerned about the amount of time their children spent on tablet computers, which they possibly believe could be one of the reasons for them to develop Osmo. The game is based on technology called “Reflective Artificial Intelligence.”   The gaming kit includes a specially designed reflective camera that can be pinched on top of the iPad. This allows the app to see the shapes and objects placed in front of the tablet.   Apart from this, the kit also includes a stand which helps iPad to be placed in an upright position without which the reflective camera becomes useless. The game kit also includes two physical games pieces.  From the video seen above, it is clear that the game can be best experienced when played in real life. At least the happy faces in the video suggest that. According to the video, in the word puzzles the game persuades children to quickly guess the right word by sliding letter tiles in front of the tablet. In ‘Tangram’, kids use the same logic but the only difference is that they try to match it with the shape on the screen of the tablet with colourful wooden pieces. As for the third game which is titled Newton, children are expected to use logical reasoning to achieve the end result in the game. The third game allows a higher level of creative play because when any object is placed  in front of the iPad, for instance in the video they have used a toy dinosaur which could be seen as structures inside the game involving bouncing balls and targets.   According to the creators, the game engages users at a level that makes it more of a social activity or a modern day equivalent of family board games night. They did notice a few kinks during the testing of the game, but are hopeful of resolving most of them.   The new report also highlights a crowdfunding campaign being launched today to allow Tangible Play to assemble a group who will help the game achieve its full potential. The gaming kit is retailed at $99, but if you crop up in their crowdfunder list, you will be able get it at discounted rate of $49.