NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This was the year when coding became as important a kids' skill as readin', writin' and 'rithmetic. It's the year augmented reality went mainstream thanks to Pokémon GO! and there were clever uses of everything from Play-Doh to labyrinths. Finally, it was the year when we recognized that physical and digital play go hand in hand.
Join Living in Digital Times at the eighth annual KAPi (Kids at Play Interactive) Awards at CES® 2017 as we salute these ten awardees, all game-changers for kids and tech. The ceremony, emceed by Warren Buckleitner of Children's Technology Review, and Robin Raskin and Tonda Bunge Sellers of Living in Digital Times, follows the Kids@Play/Family Tech Summit Friday, January 6, at Tech West (Venetian, Level 4, Lando 4301) at 5:30 PM.
"Our expert group of judges spent hours debating the tech features and play value of each and every submission, enabling us to truly identify which products broke the mold this year," said Warren Buckleitner of Children's Technology Review. "Each of the awardees has moved the dial on making tech a better experience for kids."
"Leaders like Dr. Papert have brought a more inclusive, more exploratory vision to kids' tech," said Tonda Bunge Sellers of Living in Digital Times. "It's only fitting that this award is presented where innovation rules, CES 2017."
The 2017 KAPi Awards winners are:
Legend Pioneer: Seymour Papert. Dr. Papert passed away earlier this year, but his ideas and inventions live on. He transformed how millions of children around the world create and learn.
Best App or Product for Younger Children: Kudos App by KUDOS. This app provides younger kids with a safe set of training wheels for entering the world of social media.
Best App or Product for Older Children: Space by TinyBop. The Space app turns your child's tablet into a working model of the solar system and playfully introduces ideas about everything from Saturn's rings to relative sizes of the planets.
Best "Maker" Spirit Toy or Service: SAM's Curious Cars by SAM Labs. With this smart wireless construction set, you can create a myriad of moving, blinking, noise-making vehicles, programming them from your smartphone.
Best Digital/Physical Bridge: Play-Doh Touch by Hasbro. Augment reality using well-loved, classic Play-Doh. Shape something, scan it with your smartphone and app, and watch your Play-Doh creations come to life on the screen.
Robots: Cozmo by Anki. Cozmo wins the Mr. Personality of kid's robots. Powered by advanced robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision, Cozmo's sophisticated techniques come across as child's play as he jokes, shows some attitude and demonstrates he's his own "robot" when it comes to building and stacking cubes.
Augmented Reality: Pokémon GO! by Niantic. Who would have imagined that everyone from tots to seniors would be getting out and combing the streets in search of Pikachu? Niantic's deft combination of classic Pokémon, mapping geography, the smartphone camera and VR, gave us the family app of the year.
Virtual Reality/Emerging Technology: Maze by Seedling. It all starts by building a real-world maze. Snap its photo, add some traps or walls, and it becomes a screen-based virtual reality adventure (choose an outer space or ancient ruins theme) game designed by you. Put on your cardboard glasses (included) and explore your creation.
Educational (Learning Tool): Happy Atoms by Thames & Kosmos. Learn chemistry by making an atom from flexible rods and joiners. Hold your molecule up to a tablet where powerful software will use image recognition to identify and tell you about what you've created.
Best Series: Tech Will Save Us by Technology Will Save Us. If you don't have a fortune and you want some instant gratification, Tech Will Save Us offers a series of make-it-yourself kits. Whether it's a plant watering meter, a wearable bracelet, a music synth or other, your first electronic experience is bound to be a winner thanks to this company's attention to detail.
2017 JURORS:
This year's 15 jurors set the KAPi Awards apart from other award programs. Any juror can nominate a product (it doesn't need to be entered to win), and there are no hidden fees or hooks.
- Jackie Breyer, The Toy Book
- Warren Buckleitner, Children's Technology Review
- Barbara Chamberlin, New Mexico State University
- Mary Couzin, Chicago Toy & Game Group, Inc.
- Claire Green, Parents' Choice Foundation
- David Kleeman, Dubit
- Rebecca Levey, KidzVuz.com
- Frank Migliorelli, New York Public Library
- Yohei Nakajima, Techstars
- Dan Nessel, DadDoes.com
- Robin Raskin, Living in Digital Times
- Reyne Rice, ToyTrends
- Mark Schlichting, Noodleworks
- Tonda Bunge Sellers, Living in Digital Times
- Scott Traylor, 360KID
For updates on the KAPi Awards, follow FamilyTech Summit on Twitter at @FamTechSummit, #KAPiAwards and #FamilyTech.
Tweet this: of #KAPiAwards at #CES2017 represent innovation in #edu & entertainment tech
About Living in Digital Times
Founded by veteran technology journalist Robin Raskin, Living in Digital Times brings together the most knowledgeable leaders and the latest innovations impacting both technology and lifestyle. It helps companies identify and act on emerging trends, create compelling company narratives, and do better business through strong network connections. Living in Digital Times produces technology conferences, exhibits and events at CES and other locations throughout the year by lifestyle verticals. Core brands include Digital Health Summit, Digital Money Forum, FitnessTech, Baby Tech, Kids@Play, FamilyTech Summit, TransformingEDU, FamilyTech TV, Beauty Tech, Wearables and FashionWare runway show, Mobile Apps Showdown, Last Gadget Standing, Robots on the Runway and the KAPi Awards. The company also works with various foundations and manages the Appreneur Scholar awards program for budding mobile entrepreneurs, as well as the 10 Under 20: Young Innovators to Watch awards recognizing student STEAM innovations in Las Vegas and New York City. For more information, visit LivinginDigitalTimes.com and keep up with our latest news on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
About CES:
CES is the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years—the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM, the technology trade association representing the $287 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers. Check out CES video highlights. Follow CES online at CES.tech and on social.
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