>> iOteddy® - PLUSH TOY TO COMMUNICATE WITH LOVED ONES

One for the "I just came across this by accident" bucket - will it succeed or be a flop?

Introducing the iOteddy, a teddy bear with integrated electronics just launched by an Australian company based out of Sydney, announcing their kickerstarter.com campaign with the hope of bringing together children with their parents that who may travel too much or unfortunately be displaced from their families. It is patent pending (sic) and has been labelled as a smart plush toy for children to community with their loved ones anywhere in the world.

The idea is that interacting with mobile phones is too invasive, or difficult for non tech savvy users.

• "I'll send your cuddle over a rainbow"

Lets go ahead a have a flashback moment to that of John Bennet, the star of Ted who wished his teddy would be his friend for life. Even the voice they use in the video reminds me of Ted, thankfully the iOteddy isn't a sexually depraved pervert as depicted in the cinematic release.

The teddy allows for sending or receiving of virtual cuddles with loved ones who have a compatible smartphone device and also the transmission of a short ten second recorded voice clips (aka: secret). They plan to have bear to bear support in a future software release - effectively creating a communication netowrk without the use of a phone.

But wait, there is more! Spend more money on accessories!

• As iOteddy represents members of a child's family, additional accessories will be available for purchase from January 2017. For example glasses and clothing are great ways to make the bear resemble the family member being personified.

  source: kickstarter campaign

They are seeking to fund $200,000 AUD to make it happen and promise to have the iOteddy under the tree before the christmas. Thats a goal in itself! It would be nice to know how they'll deal with communication from iOteddy (WiFi?) not to mention dealing with the shocking state of the NBN (national broadband network) - especially since they are marketing in Australia.,

I guess all will be fine until the child wants to take iOteddy for a bath or give him a spin in the dryer; some savvy backer has already asked the question about waterproof capabilities of the teddy bear since the USB port is exposed on the rear of the teddy.

• While we have waterproofed the electronics you can remove them for washing of the bear. We designed iOteddy so it can be used in hospitals - being able to quickly and easily remove the core electronics was critical.

  source: kickstarter campaign question/answers section

You can just imagine the screams coming from the child when you rip out the teddybears guts!