Elemental Path Exceeds Kickstarter Funding Goal by 550%

NEW YORK, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart toy and technology developer Elemental Path, creator of CogniToys, the first toys powered by IBM Watson, has surpassed their Kickstarter goal by 550 percent. Launched on February 16, the campaign raised $275,000 and received support from 2,256 campaign backers. As a result of exceeding several funding stretch goals, Elemental Path will also introduce new color options for CogniToys, as well as sticker packs that will include customizable add-ons such as moustaches, bow ties and hearts.

Creating a new opportunity for educational toys and technology, Elemental Path's CogniToys are handheld dinosaurs that allow kids to directly engage in intelligent, personalized conversation. The company's patent-pending technology, combined with Watson's cognitive computing and natural language processing capabilities, enables the toys to speak and listen on command. CogniToys evolve, learn and grow over time to keep interactions fresh with intelligent responses, such as knock-knock jokes. Best suited for children aged four to seven, the dinos also keep parents involved through a Parent Panel, accessible online and via mobile devices. Parents are able to view a text log of what their kids have said to the toy, as well as their progress in learning basic math and language skills.

"We're bringing a new kind of experience to educational play by bridging the gaps between educational toys, today's advanced technology and fun," said Donald Coolidge, co-founder, Elemental Path. "At the start of this campaign, we were eager to see the response to CogniToys. Now, we're beyond glad that what we've created has resonated so strongly with our Kickstarters. While we've now formed a real community around our toy. This is just the first step of many more to come on our journey with CogniToys."

Kickstarter backers spanning grandparents, parents and even tech enthusiasts have all expressed their support of CogniToys. Due to the campaign, 2,278 backers will receive dinos in November, as their donations served as pre-orders. In addition, ten backers who donated $1,000 each will receive the campaign's education package, meaning they will have the opportunity to work with the Elemental Path team in order to tailor multiple CogniToys towards the schools of their choices.

Watson is the first commercially available cognitive computing capability representing a new era in computing. Elemental Path is an IBM Business Partner and active member of the Watson Developer Cloud community on Bluemix, the company's digital innovation platform that enables developers to rapidly build, deploy and manage apps across any combination of public, private and hybrid cloud. 

About CogniToys

The next generation of smart toys that learn and grow with each child, CogniToys are a new gateway to smart, fun and interactive learning for children in the digital age. Harnessing the power of IBM Watson, all CogniToys are internet-connected and speech-enabled to deliver highly personalized, engaging play experiences. CogniToys are designed, developed and manufactured by interactive technology developer Elemental Path, based in New York. For more information, visit www.cognitoys.com.

IBM Watson: Pioneering a New Era of Computing

IBM Watson enhances, scales and accelerates human expertise, and represents a new era of computing in which apps and systems interact with human users more naturally, augment knowledge with Big Data insights, and learn and improve over time.  In January 2014, IBM launched the IBM Watson unit, a business dedicated to developing and commercializing cloud-delivered cognitive computing technologies. IBM is investing $1 billion into Watson, focusing on development and research, and bringing cloud-delivered cognitive applications and services to market. This includes $100 million available for venture investments that support IBM's ecosystem of start-ups and businesses building cognitive apps powered by Watson. For more information, visit ibm.com/watsonecosystem.

Media Contacts:
Dave Cotrone
Diffusion
(646) 571-0120
[email protected]

Charisse Higgins
IBM Watson
1 (347) 266-7540
[email protected]

SOURCE Elemental Path

Related Links

http://www.elementalpath.com