iMinds researchers bring video game characters to life
To study the ways in which children interact with toys both online and off, KU Leuven teamed up with Flemish digital research centre iMinds transferred virtual characters to real life
Woopi
Dr Bieke Zaman, professor of communication sciences at KU Leuven, studies the way these new technologies influence education, both at home and in the classroom. Working with the Ghent-based digital research institute iMinds, she leads a team of researchers who are exploring the fuzzy line in children’s minds between on- and offline play.
“A lot of things are changing in the world of children’s toys,” Zaman explains. “Youngsters are engaged with the digital sphere, so tablet computers have been enormously successful. But children still want to play with something tangible. They see a character in a comic book and want a figurine of that character to play with at school. Then they go home and want to play with that character online, with their friends.”
Whereas adults draw a clear distinction between their online and offline activities, she continues, for today’s children, these worlds occupy the same space.
Hybrid: Best of both worlds
Through the Woopi project, funded by the government of Flanders’ innovation programme, Zaman’s team observed the way four- to six-year-olds interact with physical and digital toys in the same space. They also assessed parents’ attitudes to the various “hybrid” toys currently on the market, which combine digital and physical elements.
“We have learned that parents have mixed feelings when it comes to digital technology,” says Zaman. “On the one hand, they want to develop their children’s digital skills, and they are convinced this is the future. But on the whole, they favour ‘old-school’ activities such as playing football outdoors. They don’t want their children to be sitting in front of a screen for long periods of time.”
Research has shown that interactive teddy bears are great for kids on the autism spectrum
Aware of these concerns, the researchers set about finding ways to incorporate more physical play into the children’s digital activities. Modern hybrid toys such as the immensely popular Skylander series allow children to import electronic information stored in a physical toy to their computer.
The iMinds researchers decided to turn this concept on its head through the use of 3D printing. Developers created software that would transform a 2D character on screen into a 3D object. They then used a 3D printer to create a physical version of the character for children to play with offline.
According to Zaman, hybrid toys represent not just added fun for children, they also have the potential to contribute to their education and foster digital literacy skills. “We presented the kids with a robot that teaches them how to code,” says the researcher. “This is a skill that is being introduced into school curriculums across Europe. Previous research has also found that interactive teddy bears are great for kids on the autism spectrum. They act as a companion to the child, but their reactions are programmed and predictable.”
Photo courtesy iMinds
iMinds
completed research projects
iMinds researchers
2013 research budget in millions of euros
- iMinds
- European Alliance for Innovation
- Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology
