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Neo is an internet connected toy delivering stories to kids and is 'Social'. For kids aged 2+, but anyone who loves stories could get Neo home.
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We created 'Neo' a toy for kids to listen to stories and a companion mobile app for parents and family to create, share and discover new stories and connect with a community of parents who believe in the power of storytelling.
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Kids listen to stories delivered by Neo without using a mobile app. Neo talks to kids and tells them jokes and trivia.
Connect Neo to your Home WIFI - with a simple one-time setup process using our app.
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It is easy to send a story to Neo.
Record your own story - Record a story in your own voice on our mobile app and send it to Neo over the internet.
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Pick a story from the app - Pick a story from our mobile app and Neo will narrate it to your child. These stories are pre-recorded audio books by storytellers.
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Neo downloads and delivers stories to kids - Neo can talk and tells kids it has a new story. Kids press a button on Neo to listen to new stories.
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I think it's a great idea. Makes it easier on single parents to have an aide to help tuck their kids in at bedtime. - Chris, Dad.![]()
I am glad that you have come with a toy rather than using cell phone app directly for kids - Ekta, Mother.![]()
I am a pilot and am not usually home for bedtime stories. This can help me read my kids bedtime stories when I am travelling" - Samir, Dad ![]()
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Playing with physical toys helps spark kids imagination, nurtures their social and creative skills.
Today's toys need to be smart to interest kids and keep up with the new digital experiences. That does not mean every toy needs to morph into a mobile phone or a tablet.
We were inspired by the 90's cult hit ‘Toy Story’ characters and brought alive Social Toys, toys on the internet with an explicit human connection.
Social toys help re-kindle the connection with 'digital' kids and connect the entire family.
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Storytelling has always been at the core of parenting and fuels the power of imagination in a child.
Neo the monster takes it one step forward helping the child bond with family despite the modern day pressures of time and physical availability.
Every family has stories to be passed on to the next generation. There are so many beautiful undiscovered stories even today. We want to bring together a community of story tellers and parents who believe in story telling. With Neo they can create and share new stories with the community.
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We prototyped 'Neo' using off the shelf components in early 2015. The next year and half was spent creating a delightful, stable, safe and manufacturable product.
Our team went through multiple iterations of the electronic board design and selection of components.
After we developed the electronics, we worked with the toy designer duo of Suhasini Paul and Paul Sandip to design the character and used prototyping techniques like 3D printing, CNC milling to create the physical prototype.
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We successfully carried out a small batch production of 40 units of the toy in 2016 to put our assumptions to test.
Late 2016 we tested these toys with interested users as a part of our beta test and incorporated their feedback to improve the product.
We are now ready to take the design and the electronics to the manufacturers for production.
All we need is your help to make this campaign successful.
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We have taken the utmost care to not collect any information unless its absolutely necessary for the purpose of a feature of the toy.
No information shall be collected without the consent of parents.
We do not store any information about kids as we understand, kids privacy needs to be respected.
Parents have complete control over any information we collect and we promise to be transparent about it.
We have worked with internet security specialists to ensure security and safety of the toy and we are always committed to this cause.
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The funds cover the initial cost of production of the toys. Toys will be manufactured by a process called injection moulding. For this process we will need to first carry out tooling and creation of moulds. The production then begins by using these moulds to create the toys.
We will also purchase electronic components with the funds for the units to be shipped to backers. Funds will also be utilised for assembly, testing and packaging, to deliver the toys to you.
We are carrying out all the electronic certifications now. A small part of the funds will be used for product related certifications.
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Like our product? Help us by telling your friends about us on your social network.
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The Team - (Left to Right) Piyush, Amit & Jayesh
Amit Deshpande - Co-Founder
Amit has spent more than 15 years in the software industry. His experience spans across software product companies and digital agencies in India and the UK. He has architected award winning digital products for leading consumer brands. His experience with creating instant messaging products and developing software for embedded devices found him his new passion—Internet connected hardware products.
Amit is a tinkerer always experimenting with new tech, an avid reader and loves music and sports.
Piyush Supe - Hardware Engineer
Piyush is a roboticist. He completed his Masters in Mechatronics from New Castle University, UK. In his spare time, he loves to hack his way through a hardware product.
Piyush is an avid sports fan, foodie and loves electronics and hardware.
Jayesh Jain - Full stack Engineer
Jayesh is a software engineer and creates web products, mobile apps and tools for data analytics. Though, he is an electronics engineer his passion lies in developing software products.
He is a traveller, hiker and curious about spiritualism and cultures.
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Our advisors guide and counsel us .
Sandip Maiti - Co-Founder & Advisor
Sandip is also a Co-Founder of a large independent Digital Agency in India. He is an avid technologist with over 15 years of marketing experience in USA & India.
Mausumi Sircar - Advisor, Artist
Mausumi is the 'first user' for all our toy prototypes. She is a creative partner who advises us on design, content and brings to light the concerns and pain points of parents. She is an artist and pursues her passion of painting simultaneously.
What material is the toy made of?
The body is made of ABS and some parts out of food grade silicon - both are kids safe
Why WIFI and not bluetooth?
We wanted to connect family and grandparents who may be far away and not staying in the same home, city or in different countries,
How long does it take to full charge the Battery?
About 5 hours for a full charge.
What is play time for a complete charge cycle?
3 hours of non stop playing stories and a standby time of 9 hours.
Can kids send voice messages?
Not in this version, we have not added any mic or a listening device on the toy.
How many people can send stories to Neo?
Any number depending on how many you invite and give permission to send a story.
All about Claiming Perks
https://support.indiegogo.com/hc/en-us/articles...
All refunds processed as per Indiegogo's policies.
To summarise, refunds can be processed when the campaign is on and if the chosen perk has not been closed.
For details please see
https://support.indiegogo.com/hc/en-us/articles/526876-Refunds
https://support.indiegogo.com/hc/en-us/articles/213172367