Launched an Augmented Reality Ready Teddy-Bear, Now Available on Apple Store

Posted by Hind Sergieh on January 17th, 2018

What does an augmented reality teddy bear look like? Meet Parker, hailed by its manufacturer Seedling as the first AR teddy bear in the world. Seedling is a startup company that specializes in children’s toys. The teddy bear is currently available exclusively at Apple retail stores and aimed at children aged three and older. Parker may seem like your ordinary plush teddy bear with no batteries or electronics, but with a specially designed AR app, he can come to life through your iPad and iPhone. This innovative augmented reality teddy bear costs .95 at the Apple Store, and the price includes the accessories, a backpack, Parker, and a letter from the bear.

How it works

Apple ARKit is used by the app to let kids interact with Parker in various ways. Kids can play doctor with Parker to examine his bones and diagnose illness with accompanying accessories such as x-ray bibs, a toy stethoscope, toy thermometer, and medicine, while the app provides a view of the bear’s inner organs. The app comes with mini games, with one of them requiring the player to squash stomach germs, so Parker can ward off the stomach bug. There is an AR camera feature, too, in which kids can watch his happiness grow and transform the surroundings with new AR effects. Children may help build the bear’s AR world using the ‘magic camera’ feature, which can let them make magical worlds like a mushroom forest or an undersea garden.

Why play with Parker?

Parker the AR teddy bear may help encourage kids to be caring and develop empathy them. Certain games can help kids develop a knack for problem solving, too. Parker itself is a doctor play toy that helps kids learn science, technology, engineering, arts, and math through puzzles and games. According to Seedling, every time kids solve a problem or cure an ailment, the bear’s happiness level increases to unlock more features, which can be viewed through the app’s magic camera.

Kids get to enjoy in-app experiences like giving Parker a check-up, test his lung capacity, and use a 3D touch feature to help him take deep breaths. This way, Parker represents the combination of old school toys with new technologies, which resulted in a safe and gentle toy that creates meaningful experiences for kids and their families.

About the Author:

This article is written by Lawrence John of ARkub – a Dubai based Interactive agency, specialising in augmented reality application development & virtual reality solutions. We support clients by integrating AR, VR, gaming and 2D and 3D experiences, that enhances their marketing campaigns and add values to promotions.