Kids love being self-responsible and self-disciplined. Seems absurd, right? I’d like you to try something; think back to your childhood. You’ll realise that there were times you envied grown-ups, wanted to be treated like one, especially when you were told what to do. This was the inspiration behind an innovative smartwatch, Octopus watch by JOY Family-Tech. The Octopus Watch is the first icon-based watch for children aged 3+ that empowers them by teaching them good habits and the concept of time.
Today’s fast-paced world presents many challenges because kids are exposed to a lot of distractions (TV, tablets, video games) and have more and more activities besides school. On the other hand, parents work a lot and even at home, it may be hard to disconnect from their job, social life, etc. Octopus can also help the kids with special needs (AD/HD, ASD, Diabetes, Down Syndrome, or executive functioning issues). Children with special needs often require frequent prompting to complete tasks. Instead of nagging them constantly, you could use Octopus as a tool for repeated prompting.
HOW IT WORKS
- It’s a watch. It gives the time with icons, making it the first clock that young kids can actually read and understand. It links time to events.
- It’s a scheduler for children that fosters responsibility, independence and self-esteem. Parents can program reminders from their smartphone and they pop up on the kid’s watch.
- It’s an assistant that helps parents prioritise expectations and stay consistent with daily routines. It gives tips and personal notes.
FEATURES
- It works in three modes:
- An iconic mode which helps kids understand time by association. It displays a big icon that is associated with a task to accomplish, according to a schedule set by the parent.
- A digital mode which is essentially a digital clock.
- An analogue mode which teaches kids how to read an analogue clock.
- It is easy to setup with IOS and Android devices via Bluetooth sync with up to 600 stored icons and is waterproof.
- There is an optional gamification feature built into the system. If it is turned on, your kid will be able to unlock virtual rewards such as special badges based on their progress.
DESIGN
The Octopus watch has a sleek and vibrant design reminiscent of an Apple watch. As shown in the picture above, the device comes in a variety of colours: strawberry red, blue sky, lemon green, pink candy and dark grey. The product also has a custom charger, the “companion”.
PRICE POINT
As of today, the product is available on Indiegogo and has successfully crossed their crowdfunding goal with $1,374,811 raised. It costs $69 exclusive of shipping to buy one watch with no discount on an increased order. For more details, click here.
SOURCE: OctupusWatch , JOY
