Carly Gloge and her team at Ubooly are pioneering a new product category – interactive toys that leverage the capabilities of modern smartphones. I’ve always been intrigued by Ubooly, because their initial products convert commodity, widely available smartphones into fun and accessible toys for children.
With well-written software and clever case design, Ubooly uses smartphone microphones, displays and speakers to create characters that engage kids and display all of the characteristics of artificial intelligence. AI will take many different forms, and smart toys represent the leading edge of AI technology deployment in the market today.
You can imagine how the right content-creation tools and software could be used in similar ways to bring cartoon and movie characters to life for kids around the world – not just for entertainment, but for engaging educational experiences, as well.
I’ve known Carly for several years, and I’ve always been impressed by her vision and determination to define and create a new product category. During our conversation on the racetrack, Carly demonstrates how Ubooly works, talks about the challenges of entering the toy market, describes how they build content for Ubooly, and explains why she loves having kids as customers.
In this week’s episode of One Lap, Carly joins me at Sonoma Raceway to talk about Ubooly. Sonoma Raceway has a long history as one of the most technical racetracks in the United States. Formerly known as Sears Point, it features significant elevation changes and has only a few short straightaways. Riding shotgun as a passenger at this track is a lot like riding a wooden roller coaster with constant changes in direction.
Watch more episodes of One Lap here. Shooting, editing, and sound for One Lap by John Murillo. Produced by Colleen Taylor. Production coordination and creative direction by Felicia Williams. Motion graphics and design by Eden Soto.