Former Googlers Start a New Play Movement With the Launch of Osmo, The First Gaming Device That Brings Kids Back Into the Real World of Playing and Thinking Outside the Box

PALO ALTO, Calif. – (May 22, 2014)— You see it every day - kids that look like digital zombies hunched over, glued to their smartphones and tablets, isolated and disengaged from the world watching videos or playing games. But what if there was a gaming device that opened up the digital experience to unlimited possibilities of real world play, where anything--from toothpicks to paintbrushes to clay--or anyone becomes part of the experience?

That’s the mission of Osmo, a new gaming device that is today launching its crowdfunding campaign to create a new Play Movement to bring life into digital gaming. The team behind Osmo, young parents out of Stanford and Google, invented Reflective Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Osmo consists of a unique new reflective camera,  game pieces and mobile apps that incorporate an iPad into the game in a whole new way. Osmo expands gameplay beyond the screen, transforming the physical space in front of the tablet into an interactive environment that turns any object into a digitally connected game piece or even captures physical drawings and makes them digital in real time.

“As people are flocking to virtual reality, we’re pioneering actual reality - unleashing experiences that go beyond digital screens,” says Pramod Sharma, CEO and co-founder of Osmo.

You need to see the video of Osmo to fully appreciate the experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbwIJMz9PAQ

Osmo brings back the essence of play and encourages core life skills; creative thinking and social interaction by creating an open environment for kids to problem solve, gain positive feedback and interact with one another. Osmo can be played by the whole family, anywhere, and on any surface - with no need for wifi or a battery and instinctively brings people together, as the first truly multi-generational connected gaming device.  

Osmo is launching with three games, built from the ground up and designed for children ages 6-12:

• Newton: What do Grandma’s glasses, your hands, and pen & paper all have in common? They’re all physical tools that are at the whim of your limitless creativity while playing Newton. Grab anything around you to build structures that magically become part of the game; guiding on screen bouncing balls to hit targets.
• Tangram: This mindful game uses timeless tangram wooden pieces that have challenged the minds of millions over centuries. The game challenges, interacts and rewards as you explore and experiment with different spatial arrangements using hands dexterity and creative thinking to solve the puzzles. As you solve, the game lights up and reveals the map of even more challenging puzzles.
• Words: By showing beautiful pictures as word clues, this game magnetically attracts players of all ages to Party around Osmo to quickly guess the word by tossing letter tiles in front of it. Carefully crafted competitive and cooperative modes gets people interacting, bonding, laughing and strategizing together. Fast paced gameplay with increasing difficulty encourages players to think outside the box.

Osmo’s open-ended environment has attracted hundreds of educators from top tier public and private elementary schools to pilot it in the classrooms. These pilots have been running for months due to consistently high level of engagement from students. Educators claim that actual reality experience of Osmo promotes social emotional learning and creative problem solving in a natural way that truly benefits kids development.

“After seeing Osmo for the first time I couldn’t stop bringing my colleagues to see it, and we couldn’t stop raving about Osmo. Every time students play with the Osmo, their excitement is palpable", says Tanya Avrith, Apple Distinguished Educator. “After testing hundreds of products for kids, we’ve finally found a product that we know every one of our students will love - a product that naturally brings kids together around the iPad and engages them to learn collaboratively. This is the future of education.”

Osmo officially launches on May 22, 2014, using crowdfunding to raise $50,000 to help complete manufacturing of the product and garner early feedback. The device will retail for $99, but presale backers will get discount pricing starting at $49 (limited availability). Special discounts include $5 off for every friend you refer. Osmo is expected to start shipping its first devices this summer - join the Play Movement! 

Find out more and help spread the Play Movement by pre-ordering Osmo here: http://www.playosmo.com/

About Tangible Play

Started in 2013 by Pramod Sharma and Jerome Scholler, Tangible Play is a gaming company built around its proprietary Reflective Artificial Intelligence. It aims to create a new play movement to unleash the boundaries of the screen with the launch of its inaugural product, Osmo. Osmo expands the playing field and engages creative thinking and social interaction, allowing any object - pen and paper, you name it -  to interact with the digital device. Tangible Play is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA.

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