The KidsRoom

The KidsRoom is a fully automated and interactive narrative playspace for children developed at the MIT Media Laboratory. Built to explore the design of perceptually based interactive interfaces, the KidsRoom uses computer vision action recognition simultaneously with computerized control of images, video, light, music, sound, and narration to guide children through a storybook adventure. Unlike most previous work in interactive environments, the KidsRoom does not require people in the space to wear any special clothing or hardware, and the KidsRoom can accommodate up to four people simultaneously. The system was designed to use computational perception to keep most interaction in the real, physical space even as participants interacted with virtual characters and scenes.