Playbots

Playbots are Companion Artefacts for infants and children that function as learning tools for adjusting in a physical world that is heavily driven by digital content. Our prototypes are designed to act as social stimuli rather than as substitute-play-things for cognitive development. Companion Artefacts aren't necessary for the well-being of a digital native child but with increased early exposure to networked technology, we envision playbots on your future gift list.

Suh Brothers and Korka, Photo Courtesy of Jenny Hyomi Kang and Mie Hørlyck Mogensen

Playbot Prototyping Principle

Playbots are abstract prototypes for infants and children during their critical period while the nervous system is especially sensitive to certain environmental stimuli.
The prototyping for these specific Companion Artefacts take into consideration the following questions:

How does (identity) conception on social media and public parenting affect childhood development?
Can infants create social and emotional connection with digital objects that minimize tactile and sensory stimuli?
What types of new social psychological behaviors do digital natives formulate engaging with technology at an early stage of development?
What types of face-to-face social interaction skills and unspoken norms did the analog generation organically learn that have now become antiquated by technology?
Do digital natives need to understand the nuances in making eye contact and reading into the subtleties of nonverbal gestural behaviors? If so, how?
Can we learn how to be present and compassionate towards others without face-to-face interaction?
What parts of the brain are children using more or less compared to the previous generation?
What types of new physical habits will the future generation acquire?