The Great Silk Road: from tablets from China to a nanny-robot from Moscow region
Hamster Robotics is a very new brand, but with a decent background. The PlayPad tablet, from which its history began, over the course of five years, has gone from ordering a small batch of devices almost blindly at a factory in Shenzhen to fully developing its own product line with production in Russia with the participation of psychologists and teachers.
The child and the TV, the child and the prefix, the child and the computer - and now the child and the tablet. Each next generation of the analog-digital era breaks up into camps in the same battle: while some parents vigorously struggle with children's dependence on new electronic toys, others consider the gadget in the hands of their offspring, if not a panacea, then a good opportunity to take a child for several hours in order to deal with their own affairs. Also actively discussed is the topic of the influence of gadgets on children's psyche and health. However, the choice of point of view does not change the fact: children learn technical innovations where they are more organic and easier than adults.
')
Now tablets became the best friends of children: both because of the larger screen and because of the ease of use. Sometimes, tablets in the hands of karapuz already look as if they were born with them. At the same time among adults, the popularity of tablets is steadily declining. Therefore, while some parents take to their child “for the slaughter” of some nameless “Chinese,” others easily leave them with tired fathers aipads.
But even surrendering to the kids to the tablets, parents try to keep their finger on the pulse: some of them turn off all communication devices on children's gadgets, often physically depriving the tablet of the opportunity to go online. Others - install parental control applications. This is where the PlayPad story begins.
The idea of ​​a children's tablet Russian businessman Denis Bulavin caught fire in 2011. After finding partners, he ordered a batch of tablets at the factory in Shenzhen, China. The idea turned out to be commercially successful: seven thousand made by PlayPad famously dispersed through coupon sites - but this was a drop in the ocean against the background of total sales of 350 thousand children's devices and 6.5-7 million tablets in Russia in general annually.
At the same time, the quality of the first tablets did not hide the surprises, having turned out to be predictably low - therefore, a domestic technologist went to China to make the next batch of PlayPads, which controlled the assembly process and the compliance of components with the declared supplier. The quality of iron has grown. But this was not enough.
In the fight hardware vs software, software confidently burst forward. Your mobile gadget is as cool as apps are for it. You can invest as much as you like in marketing, OS development and optimization, but if you, like Microsoft’s mobile division, have not been able to develop an application ecosystem, at least at the level of iOS and Android stores, your fate is predetermined . Unique specialized software gives the gadget something that cannot be achieved by other means - the right to stand out, the right to be more expensive, the right to be a thing in itself.
For this reason, in parallel with the debugging of production at the facilities of the Shenzhen factory, here in Russia, Appgranula studio began developing a software shell for the Playpad 2. Instead of running out of proprietary operating systems of their own handicraft or making another fork, the team decided to create a launcher on the standard Android build.
In order to protect children from generally accepted stores, the site playpads.net was launched with its own Google Play counterpart, which was filled with pre-filtered and specially selected content for the target audience. Moreover, it is not only about games: educational and developmental programs were added to the internal PlayPad store.
The second solution, which was supposed to increase the competitiveness of the PlayPad 2 against the background of unnamed Chinese tablets, was the function of remote control of the device by the parent itself. Also, adults were offered the function of limiting the time of work of certain applications, or the entire tablet as a whole. For example, you can set the operating time for half an hour, after which the device is blocked. The remote control system is probably the most important software feature of PlayPad2, which distinguishes the device from a regular tablet.
By the time the PlayPad 2 was made, work was done on:
Improving quality, developing unique software, resorting to medical and scientific experience, PlayPad became more and more noticeable on the market - as a result, problems began to fall into the spotlight as well. Experienced w3bsit3-dns.com users quickly found a number of vulnerabilities in the old PlayPad launcher, which allowed them to accidentally or intentionally gain access to the full Android shell and, accordingly, features not provided for in the children's tablet.
Part of the problem was related to the presence of Root-rights on the device, acting as a platform for the launcher, but this question was already in the competence of the parent, giving the similar device into the hands of his child. However, this prompted the Appgranula team to launch a new version of the firmware for PlayPad.
But one launcher, teachers, and even China’s production capacity is not enough to make a business profit or at least stay afloat. In 2013, everything looked still not bad, but over time the old retailers "fell off" due to lack of competence, and the new agreements did not bring the desired result.
But the strongest blow to the project was caused by the failed cooperation with the company SoundLine, which offered to take on the exclusive distribution of tablets in the territory of the Russian Federation. Obligations to sell 50 thousand tablets annually with the total size of the market for children's gadgets in Russia to the same 350 thousand devices taken by SoundLine just when the PlayPad lost its old distributors, seemed like a real gift of fate ... so far, only a month after the agreement later, SoundLine did not cease to exist. The company did not survive the problems of its owner - Maxim Nogotkov. In 2013, Marigold, a man from the list of 200 richest businessmen of the Russian Federation, was on the verge of bankruptcy .
Plans to increase production and sales had to be postponed until better times. On a couple of exhibitions held in the second half of 2013, we sold off all the remains of the PlayPad tablets and again began searching for a distributor. It was possible to find only a partner who could “digest” a very small batch of devices in 2000 pcs.
From a situation similar to that in which the PlayPad was at the turn of 2013 and 2014, not all projects were able to get out. Often, businessmen attempt to get rid of a toxic venture, and make efforts in some other area.
But the demand for children's tablets has not gone away. Moreover, the base models and the development of technologies that have become cheaper from year to year have only made them more popular. If in 2011, devices capable of adequately processing clumsy children's motility at an acceptable level belonged to the upper price segment, then in 2014, state employees were already coping with this task.
Therefore, the owner of PlayPad Denis Bulavin, instead of abandoning his project, started developing his own retail, so that in May 2014 the tablet returned to the market, and the investments attracted in 2015 and the contract with M-VIDEO allowed the sales of the PlayPad 3 to return to an acceptable level of turnover .
Specifications PlayPad 3
Of the characteristics not mentioned on the slide, it is worth mentioning a 4000 mAh battery that is quite solid for a 7-inch screen.
In 2016, one of the most notable events in the history of the PlayPad occurred: refusing to assemble in China, Bilunov transferred production to the factory in the Moscow region to the factory, a little later called Hamster Robotics.
Despite the categorical statements of skeptics: "Do not take off, return to China" -
the production process was properly equipped and organized:
Yes, the components are expected to be supplied from China, but a full-fledged assembly and even ebb of the hull occur in the Russian Federation.
And here's the result: the monthly sales volume of PlayPad is 2500 devices with a total value of $ 150,000.
Many parents notice the habit of children literally biting their noses into the screen, and trying to pull them down - but it is impossible to control this all the time. Therefore, the Hamster Robotics software department took over the protection of children's eyesight: the system is now at the patenting stage, determining the distance of the user's face from the device’s screen is the user's face and turning off the screen if you bring it to your eyes at a distance that damages your eyesight.
The way to implement this idea was chosen in its own way elegant: in fact, it is just another standard screen lock technology for modern smartphones when you put it to your ear during a conversation.
Making money on accessories and related products is a normal practice for retailers and manufacturers around the world. So the PlayPad 3 is already “packed” in a soft-touch plastic case and comes with a silicone case that is designed to protect the device during operation by children. And now the Hamster Robotics company, which is already more than just a children's tablet factory, is preparing branded batteries for release on the market.
Now the development of branded Powerbank is in the working prototype stage. Like the PlayPad, it will be assembled at Zheleznodorozhny, available in two versions: at 5000 mAh and 10,000 mAh. Based on the volume of the PlayPad 3 battery, which has a battery capacity of 4,000 mAh, the younger model in ideal conditions will be enough for 1-1.2 charge cycles, and the older one - 2.2-2.4 cycles. At the same time, unlike unnamed Chinese counterparts, the battery is fully certified according to the norms of the Russian Federation.
The development of the Powerbank case is now in the final stage of choosing one of three concepts that have insignificant differences:
First concept
Second concept
Third concept
As you can see, all the differences boil down to the design of the control button and the degree of "angularity of the case." The first concept has an irregular shape and rounded edges. The second is completely symmetrical, and the control button is flush flush, reducing the number of projections. The third design option is the most aggressive, obviously for boys.
Full specification of the older model
Despite the fact that the finalization of the development is still ongoing, the combination of price and characteristics of the Hamster Powerbank has already provided him with pre-orders in large Russian networks, on whose shelves it may appear before the end of the year.
The most ambitious project so far Hamster Robotics is the creation of a Russian nanny robot.
concept art of the future assistant
Now the robonian is at the prototype stage with partially implemented functionality and the following planned specifications:
The planned specification of the robot nanny
The main function of the robot will entertain and occupy the child at a level at which the tablet can not. This will be the present future.
Tablet and children
The child and the TV, the child and the prefix, the child and the computer - and now the child and the tablet. Each next generation of the analog-digital era breaks up into camps in the same battle: while some parents vigorously struggle with children's dependence on new electronic toys, others consider the gadget in the hands of their offspring, if not a panacea, then a good opportunity to take a child for several hours in order to deal with their own affairs. Also actively discussed is the topic of the influence of gadgets on children's psyche and health. However, the choice of point of view does not change the fact: children learn technical innovations where they are more organic and easier than adults.
')
Now tablets became the best friends of children: both because of the larger screen and because of the ease of use. Sometimes, tablets in the hands of karapuz already look as if they were born with them. At the same time among adults, the popularity of tablets is steadily declining. Therefore, while some parents take to their child “for the slaughter” of some nameless “Chinese,” others easily leave them with tired fathers aipads.
But even surrendering to the kids to the tablets, parents try to keep their finger on the pulse: some of them turn off all communication devices on children's gadgets, often physically depriving the tablet of the opportunity to go online. Others - install parental control applications. This is where the PlayPad story begins.
From prototype to standalone PlayPad product
The idea of ​​a children's tablet Russian businessman Denis Bulavin caught fire in 2011. After finding partners, he ordered a batch of tablets at the factory in Shenzhen, China. The idea turned out to be commercially successful: seven thousand made by PlayPad famously dispersed through coupon sites - but this was a drop in the ocean against the background of total sales of 350 thousand children's devices and 6.5-7 million tablets in Russia in general annually.
At the same time, the quality of the first tablets did not hide the surprises, having turned out to be predictably low - therefore, a domestic technologist went to China to make the next batch of PlayPads, which controlled the assembly process and the compliance of components with the declared supplier. The quality of iron has grown. But this was not enough.
The soft is the king
In the fight hardware vs software, software confidently burst forward. Your mobile gadget is as cool as apps are for it. You can invest as much as you like in marketing, OS development and optimization, but if you, like Microsoft’s mobile division, have not been able to develop an application ecosystem, at least at the level of iOS and Android stores, your fate is predetermined . Unique specialized software gives the gadget something that cannot be achieved by other means - the right to stand out, the right to be more expensive, the right to be a thing in itself.
For this reason, in parallel with the debugging of production at the facilities of the Shenzhen factory, here in Russia, Appgranula studio began developing a software shell for the Playpad 2. Instead of running out of proprietary operating systems of their own handicraft or making another fork, the team decided to create a launcher on the standard Android build.
In order to protect children from generally accepted stores, the site playpads.net was launched with its own Google Play counterpart, which was filled with pre-filtered and specially selected content for the target audience. Moreover, it is not only about games: educational and developmental programs were added to the internal PlayPad store.
The second solution, which was supposed to increase the competitiveness of the PlayPad 2 against the background of unnamed Chinese tablets, was the function of remote control of the device by the parent itself. Also, adults were offered the function of limiting the time of work of certain applications, or the entire tablet as a whole. For example, you can set the operating time for half an hour, after which the device is blocked. The remote control system is probably the most important software feature of PlayPad2, which distinguishes the device from a regular tablet.
By the time the PlayPad 2 was made, work was done on:
- creating your own launcher shell for the device;
- the launch of the site on which the PlayPad is activated and the device is managed;
- developing a system of remote access and application control;
- creating and filling your own store with pre-selected content for children.
Recommended by experts. No, really. Yes, real
The psyche is inherently related to the age and development of a person. For this reason, besides the psychology familiar to all of us with grandfather Freud, phallic symbols and all the other charms of this science, there exists its subspecies - age psychology, which studies the development of the human psyche in the context of its involvement in a certain age group. And if the substantiation of the existence of prenatal and perinatal psychology can be discussed, then the existence of a specifically child's psyche (aged 3 to 12 years) and the need to study it, does not cause questions. In general, if you think about it, then we, adults, think a little about this issue. Against the background of our perception, children's problems, emotions and impressions may seem one-sided and far-fetched, however, they later form the final personality and the new member of society.In February 2013, an association of child psychologists and teachers certifying electronic products for deliveries to kindergartens of the Russian Federation joined the application development process through the Elti-Kudits association. Over the years of joint work of these specialists with developers, over a hundred different game, training and developmental applications have been created for PlayPad, which correspond to the wishes and recommendations of children's psychologists and teachers.
Someone may call the involvement of psychologists and teachers in the development of a “gadget for shutting off children” an excessive step, but the children's psyche and worldview are radically different from the psyche and worldview not only of adults, but even of adolescents. That is why we considered it important to attract specialists who have experience and understand the needs, possibilities and limitations of our target audience.
Not without stains on the locker
Improving quality, developing unique software, resorting to medical and scientific experience, PlayPad became more and more noticeable on the market - as a result, problems began to fall into the spotlight as well. Experienced w3bsit3-dns.com users quickly found a number of vulnerabilities in the old PlayPad launcher, which allowed them to accidentally or intentionally gain access to the full Android shell and, accordingly, features not provided for in the children's tablet.
Part of the problem was related to the presence of Root-rights on the device, acting as a platform for the launcher, but this question was already in the competence of the parent, giving the similar device into the hands of his child. However, this prompted the Appgranula team to launch a new version of the firmware for PlayPad.
Not enough product
But one launcher, teachers, and even China’s production capacity is not enough to make a business profit or at least stay afloat. In 2013, everything looked still not bad, but over time the old retailers "fell off" due to lack of competence, and the new agreements did not bring the desired result.
But the strongest blow to the project was caused by the failed cooperation with the company SoundLine, which offered to take on the exclusive distribution of tablets in the territory of the Russian Federation. Obligations to sell 50 thousand tablets annually with the total size of the market for children's gadgets in Russia to the same 350 thousand devices taken by SoundLine just when the PlayPad lost its old distributors, seemed like a real gift of fate ... so far, only a month after the agreement later, SoundLine did not cease to exist. The company did not survive the problems of its owner - Maxim Nogotkov. In 2013, Marigold, a man from the list of 200 richest businessmen of the Russian Federation, was on the verge of bankruptcy .
Plans to increase production and sales had to be postponed until better times. On a couple of exhibitions held in the second half of 2013, we sold off all the remains of the PlayPad tablets and again began searching for a distributor. It was possible to find only a partner who could “digest” a very small batch of devices in 2000 pcs.
Search for new options
From a situation similar to that in which the PlayPad was at the turn of 2013 and 2014, not all projects were able to get out. Often, businessmen attempt to get rid of a toxic venture, and make efforts in some other area.
But the demand for children's tablets has not gone away. Moreover, the base models and the development of technologies that have become cheaper from year to year have only made them more popular. If in 2011, devices capable of adequately processing clumsy children's motility at an acceptable level belonged to the upper price segment, then in 2014, state employees were already coping with this task.
Therefore, the owner of PlayPad Denis Bulavin, instead of abandoning his project, started developing his own retail, so that in May 2014 the tablet returned to the market, and the investments attracted in 2015 and the contract with M-VIDEO allowed the sales of the PlayPad 3 to return to an acceptable level of turnover .
Specifications PlayPad 3
Of the characteristics not mentioned on the slide, it is worth mentioning a 4000 mAh battery that is quite solid for a 7-inch screen.
In 2016, one of the most notable events in the history of the PlayPad occurred: refusing to assemble in China, Bilunov transferred production to the factory in the Moscow region to the factory, a little later called Hamster Robotics.
Despite the categorical statements of skeptics: "Do not take off, return to China" -
the production process was properly equipped and organized:
- the factory is equipped with equipment and personnel for assembly;
- "Clean room" necessary to comply with the assembly process;
- a system of procurement and delivery of components;
- The release of the hull of the new model through the mold.
Yes, the components are expected to be supplied from China, but a full-fledged assembly and even ebb of the hull occur in the Russian Federation.
And here's the result: the monthly sales volume of PlayPad is 2500 devices with a total value of $ 150,000.
Soft eyes saves
Many parents notice the habit of children literally biting their noses into the screen, and trying to pull them down - but it is impossible to control this all the time. Therefore, the Hamster Robotics software department took over the protection of children's eyesight: the system is now at the patenting stage, determining the distance of the user's face from the device’s screen is the user's face and turning off the screen if you bring it to your eyes at a distance that damages your eyesight.
The way to implement this idea was chosen in its own way elegant: in fact, it is just another standard screen lock technology for modern smartphones when you put it to your ear during a conversation.
Expansion of the product line and modifications
Making money on accessories and related products is a normal practice for retailers and manufacturers around the world. So the PlayPad 3 is already “packed” in a soft-touch plastic case and comes with a silicone case that is designed to protect the device during operation by children. And now the Hamster Robotics company, which is already more than just a children's tablet factory, is preparing branded batteries for release on the market.
Now the development of branded Powerbank is in the working prototype stage. Like the PlayPad, it will be assembled at Zheleznodorozhny, available in two versions: at 5000 mAh and 10,000 mAh. Based on the volume of the PlayPad 3 battery, which has a battery capacity of 4,000 mAh, the younger model in ideal conditions will be enough for 1-1.2 charge cycles, and the older one - 2.2-2.4 cycles. At the same time, unlike unnamed Chinese counterparts, the battery is fully certified according to the norms of the Russian Federation.
The development of the Powerbank case is now in the final stage of choosing one of three concepts that have insignificant differences:
First concept
Second concept
Third concept
As you can see, all the differences boil down to the design of the control button and the degree of "angularity of the case." The first concept has an irregular shape and rounded edges. The second is completely symmetrical, and the control button is flush flush, reducing the number of projections. The third design option is the most aggressive, obviously for boys.
Full specification of the older model
Despite the fact that the finalization of the development is still ongoing, the combination of price and characteristics of the Hamster Powerbank has already provided him with pre-orders in large Russian networks, on whose shelves it may appear before the end of the year.
The most ambitious project so far Hamster Robotics is the creation of a Russian nanny robot.
concept art of the future assistant
Now the robonian is at the prototype stage with partially implemented functionality and the following planned specifications:
The planned specification of the robot nanny
The main function of the robot will entertain and occupy the child at a level at which the tablet can not. This will be the present future.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/335800/
All Articles