February 2016
Beginner to intermediate
27 pages
37m
English
Overview
Toys are becoming increasingly smarter. Once merely objects of play, today’s toys often act as agents of play, guiding kids toward learning through interactivity and feedback. As this O’Reilly report explains, smart toys not only employ sophisticated algorithms, but also share data and get updates via the cloud. What are the implications of a toy that, instead of fostering open-ended play, now becomes the playmate?
Author Meghan Athavale takes you on an objective tour of today’s smart toys: how they’ve evolved from their roots in the early ’90s, as well as the ethics, risks, and promise they carry with them. Though it’s still early days, digital toys are already changing how children learn and socialize. They’re also likely to have a permanent impact on our brains and our culture.
In this report, you’ll explore:
- Three feedback loops that guide the behavior of a smart toy over its lifetime
- Privacy concerns about a smart toy’s ability to "converse" with children by collecting and storing conversations
- The risk of children becoming socially withdrawn and addicted to technology due to increased use of smart toys
- Benefits of smart toys, including the ability of the machines to learn from users and provide customized education
- Predictions for how data and technology will change the nature of play and toys—including connected play and immersive environments
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Read now
Unlock full access
More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly
O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.Julian F.
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.Addison B.
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.Amir M.
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.