The fitness tracking market is not quite saturated yet and the wearable tech industry is casting a wider net to capture an untapped market potential: children. Leapfrog, an educational entertainment company based in Emeryville, California, today announced LeapBand, a fitness tracking device for kids.
Aimed at the 4 to 7 year old age range, this rechargeable water-resistant digital wrist band gives kids interactive commands that help them stay physically active through gamification. The LeapBand comes pre-loaded with 14 challenges that intend to get kids moving with active and imaginative activities. Activities are rewarded by giving points that can be used to unlock special features in the on-board games. These games, similar to Tamagotchi, incorporate a set of eight virtual pets that can be fed and played with.
LeapBand uses a simple USB connection through which parents sync activity data, install extra activities, or control parental settings such as limiting play time, or setting the LeapBand to be in silent mode during school hours. In LeapFrog Connect, parents can set up any of the 36 LeapBand challenges with activities like: “Jump like a frog” or “Walk like a crab” to get kids moving.
The device is expected to fetch around $40 and is planned to become available in August of this year.
Product page: LeapBand…
(hat tip: WSJ)