Kid Space: Interactive Learning in a Smart Environment

Kid Space is a smart space for children, enabled by an innovative, centralized projection device that senses multimodal interactivity and intelligently projects augmented reality (AR) content across surfaces. Kid Space uses a visible agent to guide learning through play. Two preliminary studies evaluated Kid Space with children 5 to 8 years old. Study 1 showed that children engaged enthusiastically with the projected character during a math exercise and during physically active games. A parent questionnaire showed that parents valued Kid Space for learning and physical activity. Study 2 found that children engaged with a projected agent at a closer distance than with a television. Parents showed a preference for a projected AR agent over an agent on a television or a standard projection. Parents also showed a preference for an agent that demonstrated awareness of children's physicality in the space.