Children
Kidtrack biometric system keeps track of kids on school buses
A lot of parents worry when their kids first start taking the school bus by themselves. What if they’re snatched from the bus stop? What if they get off at the wrong stop? What if the bus is hijacked? Well, while the Kidtrack system can’t keep any of those things from happening, it can at least keep track of which children are on which buses, and where. Read More
Young children love playing with shapes, whether using them to complete a puzzle, building with them, or spotting them in the real world. But, while previous generations made do with wooden shapes and puzzles, toddlers nowadays have an iPad alternative. Tiggly Shapes is a set of four shape toys which interact with the iPad screen through a series of custom apps. Read More
DuoBuds ear buds offer a simple solution to sharing music and video being viewed through a portable devices by packing a built-in 3.5mm port for attaching an additional pair of headphones. Read More
Great Ormond Street Hospital is a children’s hospital based in London, UK, which recently received an installation dubbed “Lullaby Factory,” courtesy of architectural firm Studio Weave. Spanning a total of ten stories in height, and 32 meters (105 feet) in length, Lullaby Factory enlivens a formerly dull space while producing gentle lullabies which can only be experienced from within the building. Read More
When a child is born with the congenital deformity known as microtia, they have an underdeveloped external ear – also known as the pinna. Even though their inner ear may be normal, the lack of the external structure can affect their hearing, plus it looks unusual. Normally, a replacement pinna is made from a foam-like material (or sometimes even cartilage from the rib cage) and implanted under the skin, although these don’t always look particularly natural. Now, scientists from Cornell University have developed a more realistic pinna grown from biological material, using a 3D printer. Read More
Say what you like about Barbie, but she knows her gadgets almost as well as she knows fashion. She's been a computer engineer, had a video camera implant and worn a T-shirt with a built-in LCD screen. Now with the launch of Barbie Digital Dress, she's shown she's once again on-trend (in both technology and fashion) by showing off an LED touch-sensitive dress. Read More
Who says that car makers don’t listen to their customers? A reader at Jalopnik asked for help in producing a concept image for a car built to the specifications of his four year-old nephew, Eli – BMW responded with the ride we all secretly wish we owned. Read More
Given the horrific event that occurred last month in Newtown, Connecticut, it’s not surprising that we’re seeing a rise in products designed specifically to protect children against shootings in schools. One of the latest such devices is a bulletproof dry-erase whiteboard. Read More
Qubis Haus is part coffee table, part doll house
Parents know that it's all too easy to suddenly find your house swamped with toys ... so anything that can help keep your living room stylish, while also being fun for your little one, has obvious appeal. Qubis Haus is just such an item. It's a coffee table which transforms into a doll house, with the simple addition of sliding panels made from wood and perspex. Read More
If you've as much as looked at a computer in the past 30 years, there's a good chance you've played Tetris. The block rotating and slotting video game has been ported to almost every machine imaginable, and is played 35 million times per day online. But Tetris is about to break out into the real world, with toy firm Hasbro announcing a licensing deal which will see it release multiple face-to-face games based on the brand. Read More
