There are hundreds of millions of toddlers and babies who are not online. Some would say that’s just fine and dandy. But, in truth, kids are already ‘using’ media in the form of TV shows aimed at them, so why not create an interface to apps designed especially for them?
Step forward Jumboard, which launched today at Techonomy3 in Israel.
Interface is clearly a problem, a toddler’s motor skills not up to speed for touch screen tablets and computer mice. But they can press big buttons. Thus, Jumboard has a big USB board which plugs into the keyboard of a PC and create a big red, yellow, blue, green button interface to Flash apps on the Jumboard site.
The patent-pending physical board requires no local software on the PC.
Jumboard also monitors the development of the child and gives the parent feedback on the progression of the child through their games.
The dea is that eventually Jumboard is a kind of app store for toddler apps, where other developers create games based on a simple template provided by the site.
But in order to get this four button keyboard out, Jumboard requires partners, which is why the founders, husband an wife team Danny and Racheli Van Buren, plan to partner with with other companies like games and toy makers. I can see a ‘Dora The Explorer Jumboard’ might well work.
The 15 person team is also using the advice of a Professor at Haifa university, Professor Ron Nabbro, an expert in industrial design and a doctor of child development, Ora Segaldrori.
Seed funding has come from Angel investors.