Within Introduces Wonderscope, An App For Kids That Uses Augmented Reality To Transform Ordinary Spaces Into Extraordinary Stories - .@WonderscopeApp

Within Introduces Wonderscope, An App For Kids That Uses Augmented Reality To Transform Ordinary Spaces Into Extraordinary Stories

Building on their commitment to expand the potential of storytelling through technology, Within today announced the release of Wonderscope, a new children's iOS app that uses the power of augmented reality to transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary stories. The free app, which marks Within's first AR offering, creates narrative-driven experiences that change the way kids engage with mobile devices by encouraging movement, reading aloud and interactive play.

"Millions of kids use screens as much or more than adults, and they often do it alone," said Within CEO, Chris Milk. "With AR, we see an opportunity to change that dynamic. Rather than disappearing into our devices and shutting out the world, Wonderscope promotes a new kind of screen-positive experience, one that opens you up to everything and everyone around you."

Extraordinary Mobile Technology

Built using Apple's ARKit, and initially featured by Apple at the 2017 Worldwide Developer Conference, Wonderscope is now available on all AR-enabled iOS devices*.

Featuring stories that respond to a child's movement and voice—including lines of dialogue that are highlighted as a child reads them aloud—Wonderscope showcases AR's unique potential to elevate early childhood learning. This is accomplished thanks to Within's custom-built voice-recognition system, which is quickly able to detect key passages in each story without an internet connection. The system is based on machine learning and uses language models locally on each device.

"It's crucial that we don't wait for cloud-based voice recognition which can leave users feeling like they're talking to a robot," said Within CTO Aaron Koblin. "Our low-latency system adds to the subconscious magic and smoothness of the experience."

Additionally, Within's "Look At" feature approximates the experience of eye-contact with characters, deepening the emotional connection and sense of participation in the story.