There are some parents who feel guilty about making tablets or gadgets their kids’ babysitter when they are not able to fully interact with them at times. But there are of course times when they need to have something like “parental discretionary time”. There are product developers trying to think of things that parents can use without resorting to gadgets.
Designer Name: Hyewon Sung
Dodam is a concept for a fairy tale device that parents can use to help younger kids “read” when they still can’t read an actual book. It’s still a gadget of course but it is just specifically for reading and lets parents still interact with their kids even when they are using it on their own. Think of it as a View Master for this modern age. There are also other features that employ Text to Speak and AI technology to make it easier and more interactive for kids even as they’re reading on their own.
The device has an animal base with eyes that light up and change their emotion depending on the story that’s being read. There’s a rotating board so the kid can turn it to move the story along. Parents can record themselves reading the story so the child can still recognize their voice. There’s also an AI dialogue feature so the kid can talk to the device as they’re still in the early language education phase.
If you can’t tell a bedtime story to your child at night, you can also use the device to do so. Just remove the fairytale board and all they will be able to hear is your voice as you tell the story and get them to sleep. It’s an interesting concept and an option for parents or caretakers who don’t want to rely on a gadget to get their kids to do something.