Meet Parker the Bear. His mission is simple – to help kids learn basic biology and what doctors actually do. And he uses augmented reality to do so.
Parker the Bear comes from the company Seedling. The teddy bear actually has no batteries, cameras or any devices. It’s just a cuddly teddy bear.
Parker does come with several accessories, though. Among them are a stethoscope, feeding spoon and a few cards. It’s obvious that Parker is a doctor.
Kids though an use an iOS or an Android device and an accompanying app with which they can scan the bear and learn more about the bone and body structure. The app also comes with several tasks and challenges.
The main goal is educational. Thanks to Parker, kids can learn what is body temperature and why it matters. They can also learn how to feed babies, how to take medicine. The goal is to teach kids how to take care of others.
Parker also has a Happiness Factor. It reflects how well the child is taking care of the bear. This factor includes more than just giving food and curing though. It also rises if the child spends time with the bear, takes photos and etc. The higher the Happiness Factor gets, the more new challenges are unlocked.
Parker the Bear costs $60 with all needed accessories apart from a mobile device. Sadly it’s only available in “select” countries. If it catches on though, it may become more widely available which we hope, as it seems promising.
