FLY™ Pentop Computer

Kids learn faster, easier and stay interested longer when having a good time. LeapFrog, global leader in technology-based educational toys, understands that to a stunning extent. One of LeapFrog’s most recent inventions is the FLY™ Pentop Computer: a bold, challenging and innovative concept that combines the power and interactivity one could expect from a PC with an interface as ubiquitous and easy to use as pen and paper, featuring real-time audio feedback.

The FLY™ Pentop computer is the first platform to give instant audio feedback as you write and draw on special paper. In order for the FLY™ Pentop Computer to understand what is written on the paper, several ground-breaking technologies have found come together in this project. Among these, there is the digital paper powered by Anoto Technology, covered with millions of tiny dots, which form a pattern. Thanks to a built-in camera in the Pentop, it can understand from the dots where one writes on the paper. For the Pentop to convert its movements on the paper into something meaningful, Vision Objects’ MyScript Technology has supplied highly accurate handwriting recognition, making the FLY™ Pentop Computer a truly interactive tool!

The challenge…

As the Pentop Computer contains all its technology inside (Anoto technology, audio output, handwriting recognition, games and more), the memory available is limited; and that’s an understatement! The handwriting recognition part was attributed just 32kb; quite a challenge, considering that MyScript handwriting recognition is not just character recognition: it is handwriting understanding. Through lexicons (vocabulary lists), MyScript recognizes actual words, instead of just a set of characters. By placing recognized words in a context, the handwriting recognition becomes extremely accurate. These lexicons were at that stage optimized for systems with less important constraints for memory and processing power, as was the whole recognition process...

The goal was set: optimizing highly accurate handwriting recognition technology for a device with limitations in memory and processing power that had never yet been encountered.

Challenge accepted!

The first step in optimizing the handwriting recognition component for the FLY Pentop Computer was to ensure that it recognized children’s handwriting correctly. As children who learn to write do not necessarily have the same writing style as adults, a panel composed of children from the age of 8 to 13 was asked to provide ink samples, to help the recognition engine recognize their handwriting.

This done, the Vision Objects' engineering team focussed on the optimization of the recognition path and adaptation of the lexicons in order to find the mean between the quality and speed of the recognition versus the memory and processing power available in the device. “In very close collaboration with Leapfrog’s engineering team and through a perfectly streamlined process of development, testing and validation, Vision Objects’ team managed to bring the RAM stamp back to even less than 32kb,” says Mark Flowers, LeapFrog’s CTO. “They pulled off the job, and beyond expectations, I must say!”

Benefits

The FLY™ Pentop Computer today supports fully operational handwriting recognition for both isolated characters and hand printed writing. In addition, it supports recognition of circled characters, to which actions are attached. You can write an M, draw a circle around it, and the FLY Pentop Computer will launch the menu. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. “You can do so many things with the FLY™ Pentop Computer, it is just amazing,” says Stefan Knerr, CEO and founder of Vision Objects. “The beauty of the concept is that with a quick change of cartridge, you open a whole new range of possibilities! Maths, language learning or geography, games … the FLY is an outstanding example of brilliant creativity and we are proud of being a part of this project.”

The FLY Pentop Computer was launched in the United States on October 17th, and the first market echoes vary from completely stunned by its possibilities to intrigued by what else it can do… "Our new FLY Pentop Computer platform has completely blown the doors off any prior learning products for tweens," adds LeapFrog President Jerry Perez. "It's all about making learning accessible, engaging and effective, and we believe the FLY platform can make a very positive and enriching difference in the lives of busy tweens."

READ THE ENTIRE CASE STUDY IN PDF