VTech® Makes Debut in Robotics Toy Category with Myla the Magical Unicorn™

New Interactive Toy Features Enchanting Play Experience, Letting Kids Customize Myla with a Magical Color Palette

NEW YORK, February 14, 2019 — Today VTech® announces the introduction of Myla the Magical Unicorn™, a colorful robotic unicorn toy that glitters with lights as she talks and sings, while introducing early concepts of color combination in a fun way. Marking VTech’s entry into the robotics toy category and remaining on-trend with the continuing popularity of unicorns, this majestic interactive friend encourages kids to use the magic brush to choose a color from the butterfly palette and magically apply the color to her eyes, wings and horn. Myla the Magical Unicorn is on display at the 2019 North American International Toy Fair®.

“We’re so excited to make our debut in the robotics toy category with such an innovative product,” said Andy Keimach, President, VTech Electronics North America. “Myla will be a must-have toy. Myla’s interactive features and her amazing accessories make her more than a toy, she’s a fun friend!”

To customize Myla, simply touch her magic brush to the butterfly palette to choose a color. Then touch the magic brush to her eyes, wings and horn to decorate Myla in a variety of colors and even practice color combinations. Kids can also braid Myla’s mane, brush her tail and complete her look by adding her crown and hair clips. For interactive fun, kids can sing a rocking duet with Myla and her microphone. When it’s time to go solo, pull the microphone away and Myla will stop singing but continue to play music.

Myla the Magical Unicorn is recommended for ages 4+ years and will be available in May exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide and on Walmart.com, with expanded national retail availability this Fall.#

About VTech®

VTech is a world leader in age-appropriate and developmental stage-based electronic learning products for children. As a pioneer in the learning toy category, VTech develops high-quality, innovative educational products that enrich children’s development and make learning fun. With a rich 40 year history, VTech has not only established itself as a learning authority but also consistently remains at the forefront of innovation with multiple award-winning products, including prestigious Toy of the Year (TOTY) Award winners. The company also has a broad range of award-winning infant, toddler and preschool products available in 31 different languages worldwide, with more than 100 new products introduced every year. In order to further strengthen VTech’s position as a learning authority, new products are developed with critical insights from a dedicated team of in-house learning experts.

VTech Electronics North America, L.L.C. is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. VTech Electronics Limited is headquartered in Hong Kong with distribution globally.

For more information about VTech’s electronic learning products, visit www.VTechKids.comwww.facebook.com/VTechtoys on Facebook or follow @VTechToys on Twitter.

Smartibot launches the world’s first A.I. enabled cardboard robot

London, England – June 26th 2018 The Crafty Robot today launches its new robot kit Smartibot which is aimed at letting users get hands-on experience with A.I. and get creative through building their own robot out of anything, even a potato. Created by product designer Ross Atkin, who is part of a team of inventors in the BBC’s flagship technology program ‘The Big Life Fix’, Smartobots are available for pre-order on Kickstarter from £30 ($40).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/460355237/338515758?ref=1k04h4&token=994114b3

Smartibot takes The Crafty Robot’s ‘build a robot out of anything’ ethos and adds the latest A.I. technology and smartphone connectivity. This allows you to build robots that can recognise and respond to objects they can see such as people, animals and vehicles, or be driven around the home and office using your smartphone as a remote control.

Smartibot comes with cleverly designed cardboard parts, and can be re-used to easily create new robots out of almost anything from porcelain to parsnips. The first three cardboard robot designs include;

  • A.I. Bot: The fun robot that can chase you, your pets or toy vehicles around the room.
  • Teabot: Which can carry two full drinks around the room, giving you a fun way to deliver your favourite person their beverage of choice.
  • Unicorn: It’s a freakin’ Unicorn!

Working with two groups of London-based craftspeople who use traditional processes, Smartibot has grown from a simple robot to something more. Artists at Turning Earth Studios have been able to craft robots using various clay and ceramic techniques whilst regulars at Wild and Woolly Yarn Shop have found knitting a series of robots was more their style. In an East London Makerspace, Machines Room, Smartibot robots have been made using the less traditional materials including potatoes and other vegetables in order to pit them against each other in a race and arena combat in the inaugural ‘Botato Wars’.

“I build technology for a living and I know that the best way to avoid being replaced by a robot is to be the person making the robot” explained Ross Atkin. “We believe building your own robot should be affordable, easy to understand and exciting for everyone. Because of this we created Smartibot in order to allow everyone the opportunity to experiment with the latest A.I. technology in a fun and inventive way.”

Unlike most education technology products, Smartibot allows you to learn all of the disciplines required to create new inventions, from coding and machine learning, to mechanical design and development through iteration.

Akram Hussein, Smartibot software lead, said  “What I love about Smartibot is it allows me share my love of technology and machine learning with my young nephews in a way that is both fun but educational. I’m hopefully they will be excited to pursue STEM careers and believe Smartibot is just the right level to get them started in learning how robots and programming work.”

About The Crafty Robot

The Crafty Robot is a technology education brand, founded by Ross Atkin that has manufactured and sold cardboard robots since 2015 when it was successfully Kickstarted and delivered to over 1,600 backers.

Ross, a London based designer and engineer specialising in internet of things and smart city products, and is part of a team of eight inventors who create one off pieces of technology to solve problems for disabled individuals in the primetime BBC2 TV program ‘The Big Life Fix’.

The Crafty Robot is focused on allowing people to get creative with technology in the most fun and accessible ways possible.