What is a STEMosaur and How Can it Teach Kids?

One of the trends we identified from the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in January was the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in technology products.  Toys are getting smarter and personal and with the use of AI, they can adapt to children’s’ needs.

To see how smart today’s toys are, we took a look at two friendly dinosaurs, made by CogniToys.  The first is the Original CogniToys Dino.  Made of durable ABS plastic, the Dino reaches 7 inches in height and is eager to answer questions from his/her owner in his “Yoda-like” voice. 

The next version, the STEMosaur, looks and sounds identical but it comes in a darker green color.  It was developed so that children can develop code around what the STEMosaur says when asked certain questions.

The CogniToys Dino

CogniToy’s first product, the Dino, won numerous awards when it was first introduced.  If you have young children, you probably are well accustomed to their questions.  According to CogniToys, kids can ask up to 300 questions a day.  Perhaps you can relate to that???!!!

Not only can Dino help answer some of these questions for your child, he can also entertain him/her with stories, games, meditations, and jokes.  Looking for a bedtime story for your child while you finish up the dishes?  Dino can help.  He has a ton of them.  While not the most interesting stories, they sure have the potential to put your child to sleep!

Kids can ask Dino thousands of questions and he will respond with age-appropriate answers. However, instead of pulling information directly from Google, the CogniToys team answers kids’ questions and sends updates to the cloud to answer future questions.

In fact, that’s a part of the beauty of Dino’s AI. It is geared towards the age you specify in the CogniToys app, so your child only receives answers related to his/her age.  In addition to your child’s name, Dino will begin to remember his/her favorite color, animal, sports, and more.

Here is a list of the different Dino commands available your child can use to communicate with Dino.

Dino needs an app to connect to your home’s WiFi.  It is here you can put the age and name of your child.  After that, your child can take Dino anywhere in the house (reachable by WiFi).  The app is no longer needed, which is great for young children who do not have phones/tablets of their own.

And because Dino is cloud-connected, he will constantly be updated and improved as CogniToy adds more content.  

Dino also possesses emotional intelligence.  If a child tells Dino s/he’s scared, Dino suggests that s/he speaks to an adult they trust.  If s/he’s sad, Dino will suggest a joke to cheer him/her up.

The Dino Advanced – The STEMosaur 

At first glance, the CogniToys STEMosaur looks just like Dino.  However, it’s made from a darker green, almost translucent plastic.  STEMosaur likewise can answer questions, tell bedtime stories, play games, recount jokes, and answer questions for your child, just like Dino.

But there’s a reason STEM is in its name.  There are two major differences between Dino and STEMosaur.  With STEMosaur, 

1. Your child builds it him/herself
2. Your child can code the STEMosaur to say certain things through a simple online free coding program 

Putting the STEMosaur together wasn’t too complex.  It involved placing the STEMosaur’s body pieces together and screwing them in with the included screwdriver.  It’s neat to be able to see the circuitry inside, further driving your child’s curiosity of how the STEMosaur works.

Once the STEMosaur is built, you add 4 AA batteries (not included).  Now connect your STEMosaur just like you would with Dino, through the app, connecting him to WiFi.  At this point, your STEMosaur can use WiFi to connect to the CogniToy cloud to receive answers and updates.

Coding Your STEMosaur

Here’s where the fun gets even better. Grab your STEMosaur and your child and head to the CogniToys website. Right on the front page, you will see a “Coding Panel” button.  Click on it and log in with the same credentials you used for the app.

Here, your child can learn up to 3 lessons (more are coming) on how to program his/her STEMosaur. It’s super easy and so fun to program!

Before I told my son he could program the STEMosaur, I took some coding lessons myself.  It took under 20 minutes to do the lessons and practice.  It could take longer for children.  In no time I was coding what I would ask STEMosaur and what he would say back to me.

Here’s one question I programmed, What is your favorite stuffed animal?:

I added my son’s favorite stuffed animals in the answer to “Who is your favorite stuffed animal?”  I also added some of our favorite foods for him to respond to when asked: “What is your favorite food?” What makes programming the STEMosaur’s answers really fun is that you can vary the response.

So when asked his favorite foods, I can put up to 5 responses back, so you never know how the STEMosaur will answer when asked the same question again and again, which adds the element of surprise.

I also added code so when my son asks STEMosaur “When will Mom be back” from my upcoming business trip, he will answer Friday at 8pm.  This is so cool!  I love that I can program questions/statements and answers myself and my son does too.

My son is older, but I can imagine with younger children, there are so many possibilities.  Just program in the questions your kids ask over and over again, like 

• What is the last day of school?
• When is my birthday party?
• When is Gramma’s birthday?
• What days do I go to the ballet?
• What is my address?
• What time is it?
• What is today’s date?

The STEMosaur can answer the date and time on its own.  But you can program the answers to the other questions.  Here’s the thing though, you need to code in the question that your child will most likely ask.  For example, they might say, “what time is it” versus what you might say, “what’s the time?”

You can also provide your child with a list of questions that you programmed, so s/he says it exactly.

To have fun, I programmed the STEMosaur with a daily message for my 12-year-old son.  Here’s what I programmed for the days I will be traveling next week:

In case you can’t read it, my son can ask STEMosaur…

What is my message for Wednesday?

       Mama loves you very much!  Hugs and kisses!

What is my message for Thursday?

        Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind

What is my message for Friday?

        Mama is so proud of how you help others.  She thanks God for you every day.  You are a blessing!

I like to write short notes for my kids for every day I am away from them.  In my son’s note, I will give him the question, “what is my message for Wednesday” customized for each day of the week to ask the STEMosaur. He will then get a special message from me through the STEMosaur in addition to my note.  Isn’t great?

And because the coding panel is cloud-based, I can add new questions and answers even when I’m traveling.

My son will enjoy coding the STEMosaur to impress his friends with customized messages when they ask a certain question.  Having the ability to personalize the STEMosaur through coding is an amazing way to increase awareness and interest in coding.

CogniToy’s original Dino is on sale right now on their website for $59.99 (down from $99).  The STEMosaur is also available from their website for $139.99.

A Mom’s Perspective

Often called the “Alexa” for kids, what I love about the CogniToy Dinos is that their communication is geared toward kids and appropriate for the age of your child. 

It focuses on education, games, jokes, and interaction with your child. CogniToys is invested in furthering a relationship with children by deepening the understanding of child interaction and providing more meaningful responses.

CogniToys has used the over 6 million children led interactions, thousands of interactive exercises, and tons of data on what kids do when information is presented to them.

This information helped them to create the STEMosaur.  And in the Fall, they will release Scout, an inquisitive intergalactic traveler who is curious about learning more about human life.

Just like Dino and STEMosaur, Scout interacts with children through asking and answering questions, playing games, telling jokes, and more.  Aimed at kids 5 and up, Scout uses LED lights with a slew of sensors (accelerometer, ambient light sensor, capacitive touch sensors), to assist with voice recognition, visual cues and movement, and it gives visual expression so children understand more about Scout’s emotions.

Scout will be available in the Fall for under $150.