At this year’s CES in Las Vegas, NEOBEAR is debuting MAGNEO, an AR intelligent device developed for children, allowing them to better understand the world and greatly broaden their imagination. Recognized with a CES 2017 Innovation Award, children can use it and special AR cards to learn math, writing, and more.
NEOBEAR is a Shanghai-based startup that has successfully penetrated AR education scene in China, selling over a million AR card sets during the 2015 Chinese New Year.
Together with its augmented reality technology, MAGNEO features a built-in high-definition camera allowing the user to capture images of MAGNEO-related products, as well as some natural objects, and then overlay rich media on top of them. It also includes a dedicated operating system, which contains functions including one-key call and parenting assistance.
Before its launch, MAGNEO’s design has been honored with the German iF Design Award in 2015 and Italy’s A’ Design Award in 2016.
MAGNEO comes with AR teaching tools including coloring books, picture flash cards, and a globe. When a user colors a picture drawn on an AR coloring book and scans the picture with MAGNEO, the picture comes alive and flies around inside the screen.
With an aim to integrate traditional education into technology, Young Zone Culture Co., Ltd, the company that holds the NEOBEAR brand, was established in 2009. The company says it will focus on creating a series of AR products and expand into cartoons and movies in the future.
Chinese mobile AR market is estimated to grow 110% by 2019, and NEOBEAR is only one example of AR education startups booming in China. Fantasy of Kaka (奇幻咔咔3D小熊) is another AR education startup. After downloading the app and scanning the figure of the cub, the Kaka bear appears as a 3D image and dances on the app. China’s tech behemoths Baidu, Renren and Tencent are expected to produce a number of AR mass-consumer apps in the next few years.
Image credit: NEOBEAR