Smart Toys++: Exploiting the Social Connectedness for Playing and Learning

Abstract

Under the umbrella of smart toys, a myriad of interactive systems have addressed a variety of scenarios considering entertainment, education, sustainability, social and environmental learning through play. Tangibles and small toy robots prevail; but interaction technology based on wearables, conversational interfaces or augmented reality may also be part of this landscape to implement smart toys that are both social and/or connected. In the second edition of this workshop, we set a special focus on challenges associated to opening smart toys to different degrees of "connectedness", and reflecting on concerns regarding data privacy and ethics when smart toys are reframed to function in a connected way. After the pandemic, social isolation forced us to change the way we interact with each other. We are convinced that smart technologies can open new avenues for promoting social connectedness enabling more interactive playing and learning activities.