A new smart speaker is set to be available in June, designed to provide AI functionality specific to the needs of children. Known as Aristotle, toymaker company Mattel has some interesting plans to use both Amazon's Alexa and Microsoft's Cortana inside the device.
Whilst a complete version of Amazon's Alexa AI can be accessed from parent mode, a local artificial intelligence is available to the children. This aspect of the device is built using Microsoft Core Services, a cross-platform artificial intelligence API available to developers. Mattel claims Aristotle will soon incorporate full Cortana technology in a system update. If this is the case, Aristotle would be a smart speaker with not one, but two, AIs inside.
According to a press release from the company, Aristotle gradually evolves from a "platform centered on nurturing and infant development" to a system "focused on teaching" as the child grows older. To this effect, Aristotle's functionality varies from providing soothing music for babies, to a nightlight feature, and foreign language teaching capabilities for its older users.
Amongst these impressive capabilities is a Wi-Fi Bluetooth speaker and an internet connected camera which streams over a secure cloud connection. All of this weighs in at a $300 price tag, over Amazon's $180 Alexa equivalent.
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Source: GeekWire | Image via Android N
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