‘Smart’ rubber duck quacks, reads and plays music - will bath time ever be the same?
Edwin, the world’s first ‘smart duck’, can sing a lullaby and tell a story, among other things, but the toy relies a lot on smartphone apps for the fun it delivers - and it’s set you back US$100
Billed as the world’s first “smart duck”, Edwin the Duck is cute, yellow and waterproof, just like the good old rubber duck floating in many bathtubs for generations. But Edwin also reads and plays music. He quacks, rather than squeaks like the traditional duck, thanks to internal electronics. Motion sensors also turn the US$100 Edwin into a controller for games.
Yet Edwin feels like a work in progress, a collection of miscellaneous functions that are mildly duck-related, without the features that would truly make him smart.
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For instance, he doesn’t converse with kids using computer-generated responses, as other smart toys do. And most of his wizardry merely directs a child’s attention right back to screens.
Perhaps Edwin would have worked better without trying to be all that smart. Not every toy needs to be a smart toy. A good personality might be all that a digital rubber duck needs.
Edwin, made by American company Pi Lab, does have a personality – and more.
You can have Edwin tell a story or play a song by launching a free iPhone or Android app. The fun part comes through Edwin’s built-in motion sensors. As your kid shakes, turns or moves Edwin up and down, an animated Edwin on the app swims or flies, or selects a response in a game or quiz. Tap on Edwin’s wing, and a light in his head turns on. Edwin becomes a night light – but one that can also tell a child a bedtime story or play a lullaby (from a limited selection).