Google and Disney Alums Join Forces with Stanford Ph.D. in Human Computer Interaction to Launch Osmo Monster, a Mixed Reality Experience that Brings Physical Drawings to Life

Children are born creative with unbridled imaginations, but technology increasingly turns them into passive digital zombies. Today, Osmo, the award-winning platform changing the way kids play and learn on the iPad is reversing that trend with the launch of Monster, the first ever mixed reality experience that animates any physical drawing.

The experience stars Mo the Monster, a furry orange friend with whom children ages 4 to 10 co-create animated activities using the Osmo system and newly launched Creative Set. When Mo requests various objects, kids respond to him by creating real-world drawings that Osmo’s reflective AI technology incorporates into Mo’s digital world on an iPad.

See Monster in action: https://youtu.be/_HeZmdc-pgY

“If Walt Disney was a 5 year-old today, we think he would create his first cartoon with Osmo Monster,” said Pramod Sharma, CEO and cofounder of Osmo. “Creativity is critical to early learning and development, as is building motor skills through drawing. We believe that technology shouldn’t just be for math and science kids, it can inspire and empower creative children as well.”

Monster has been in development since the company’s inception in 2013, but the technical and creative hurdles proved to be much more challenging than anticipated, requiring more than three years and over 20 iterations to bring the product to fruition. Along the way, Osmo brought in Zac Pavlov, an animation engineer from Disney, and Jesse Cirimele, a Stanford Ph.D. in Human Computer Interaction (HCI), to build the technology behind Monster.

Now, Osmo is leveraging Cirimele’s background in HCI to pioneer ‘Human Character Interaction’, a platform that combines machine learning, artificial intelligence and computer vision with the magic of an animated Character to deliver the first mixed reality game that creates fully animated experiences.

“Each technical hurdle the team solved for Monster ultimately improved the entire Osmo system,” said Sharma. “Mo is just the beginning of what’s possible. Our Human Character Interaction technology will enable children to hang out with their favorite characters and do fun creative activities together.” 

Monster builds on Osmo’s existing creativity games, Newton and Masterpiece, which have been remastered with updated content for the Osmo Creative Set, also released today. Available for $49.99 at playosmo.com and Amazon, the Creative Set includes the Osmo Creative Board, six Yoobi colorful chalk markers and a fuzzy pencil case, and the Monster, Newton, and Masterpiece apps. Both the Creative Board and the chalk markers have been specially calibrated for Osmo’s computer vision technology.

Osmo’s dedication to creating educational, engaging and creative activities that bridge physical and digital worlds has made it a favorite among families and teachers alike. Since its inception in 2013, Osmo has gone from an idea of two parents and Google alums to being a mixed reality game system that was named Time Magazine best inventions, landing in Apple Stores and in more than 15,000 schools across the world.

Monster launches with one experience, ‘Mo’s Magic Show’, and the company plans to release more experiences this fall as free updates to the Monster App. Each experience has numerous activities and kids can make unlimited drawings so each one can be played over and over again.

To purchase Osmo and hang out with Mo - visit playosmo.com.

Product images can be found here: http://bit.ly/29VO2Fn

About Osmo
Founded in 2013 by Pramod Sharma and Jerome Scholler, Osmo, an educational gaming company, is using its proprietary reflective artificial intelligence, to fuse physical play with digital engagement. It allows any object ­ tiles, pen & paper, blocks, toys, you name it, to interact with the iPad. This hands ­on play promotes creativity, problem solving and social interaction. Osmo is using the screen to create a new healthy, hands-­on learning experience. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. For more information, visit: playosmo.com

Contact Information

Maggie Philbin

Senior Manager

VSC on behalf of Osmo

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