This AR Bedtime Storytelling Innovation Scooped a Prize at SXSW

"Read to Me," an augmented reality experience for bedtime storytelling, has just won a 2018 SXSW Interactive Innovation Award in the Innovation in Connecting People category.

Developed by The Electric Factory, which was founded in Uruguay, "Read to Me" uses an internet-connected bedside lamp to trigger projections and illustrations on a screen triggered by the sounds of a human voice reading a story. So, as seen in the video here, a child being read to by an adult can also see a visual representation of the story.

According to The Electric Factory co-founder/chief creative officer Juan Ciapessoni, "Read to Me" is intended to refresh, not replace, the bedtime reading experience through the use of modern technology. "We're not getting rid of physical books. The key is still the books, the parents and their children but now coupled with digital elements," he says. "We're changing the way we consume content through bedtime stories, building a human connection between kids and parents while delivering unique, memorable experiences."

While the experience at present works with the lamp, the aim is to be able to connect it to multiple devices and for any publisher to be able to add their content to the device. The Electric Factory also wants parents to be ultimately able to download their own sound libraries and animations.