ixi-Play, a robot buddy for young children

Current tablet computers are so easy to use, that even children can operate them. But is a virtual environment operated by a touch screen really the optimal form for a child to develop new skills? In this paper, WittyWorX describes ixi-Play, a robot buddy for young children to play physical games with in the real world. This buddy can see, listen, feel, show emotions and move life like enabling young children to explore and play games in the physical world we live in. Communication with the ixi-Play platform takes place by speech recognition, image recognition and touch. ixi-Play not only offers rich interaction, the character also shares time and space with the child offering a higher level of engagement than screen based media.