With Tacto, Shifu wants to get older children to try its AR products

CES 2020: India-based augmented reality toy company PlayShifu is planning to launch new products this year aimed at users of a slightly older age group from what it has been catering to so far.

PlayShifu is planning to launch new products this year aimed at users of a slightly older age group from what it has been catering to so far. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/ Indian Express)

India-based augmented reality toy company PlayShifu is planning to launch new products this year aimed at users of a slightly older age group from what it has been catering to so far. Shifu Tacto, expected this July, will add to the Plugo and Orboot products already providing educational experiences to children. The new Shifu Plugo comes with modules that let children learns spelling or music.

Co-founder Vivek Goyal says the new product, with its three modules — Tacto Elements, Laser and Quest — will open up the product to children who are 10 years and above. In fact, Tacto Elements teaches chemistry in a very hands on way and already has come in for interest from schools, he adds.

Co-founder Vivek Goyal, PlayShifu. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/ Indian Express)

“We are more excited about the third flagship we are launching this year, the Tacto. This is our take on board games. We’re converting the games we love into board games,” he says, standing at the PlayShifu booth at Sands Expo as part of CES. Along with the chemistry-oriented module, Tacto also offers a strategy game in quest and a physics game in Laser. Tacto will release in June with three experiences and add three more by end of the year.

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PlayShifu is already popular among schools in US and India with Orboot opening up children to world of dinosaurs and planets. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/ Indian Express)

PlayShifu is already popular among schools in US and India with Orboot opening up children to world of dinosaurs and planets. It is used by around a thousand schools in US, says Goyal, adding that in 2020 they will push for adoption by more schools.

Goyal, who went to IIT-Kharagpur and then Stanford before spending a couple of years in Silicon Valley working with e-bay, says Shifu is a completely Indian product. His co-founder Dinesh Advani is also from IIT-Kharagpur and worked with P&G as well as Delhivery Express.

Nandagopal Rajan

Nandagopal Rajan writes on technology, gadgets and everything related. He has worked with the India Today Group and Hindustan Times. He is an alumnus of Calicut University and Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal. ... Read More