An IBM Watson-powered smart toy dinosaur created and developed for children by Elemental Path has been a huge hit on Kickstarter, taking just two days to blow past its original goal of raising $50,000 for continued product development and distribution.
The mini dinosaur supports full speech recognition, language processing capabilities in which it can initiate and engage in conversations and remembering individual attributes like a child's favorite color,
according to Elemental Path. It also has a panel that allows parents to monitor their child's progress and connect to the Internet.
Called GreenDino, the toy has already raised $103,332 from 916 backers,
according to its Kickstarter page.
IBM lets GreenDino connect to its Watson Developer Cloud, one way in which Big Blue hopes to make money from its supercomputer and its artificial intelligence.
"Recognizing a clear gap in truly smart educational toys, we set out on a journey to redefine the way kids play with their favorite toys," said the Kickstarter page. "We've built a patent pending technology that allows kids to directly engage in intelligent conversation with their toys."
"The technology allows toys to listen, speak and simultaneously evolve, learn and grow with your child; bringing a new element of personalized, educational play to children. With your help, we are launching Elemental Path's first product: CogniToys – a cute cuddly dinosaur that is fun, playful and smart."
Daniel Cooper of Engadget.com wrote that the toy's ability to engage children will make it stand out among other smart toys on the market.
"Since there's an educational element here, the creature promises to teach your kid to spell, count and even swell their vocabulary," Cooper wrote. "Elemental Path's pitch here is that, as your child ages, the toy will monitor their progress and ask more sophisticated questions and provide more detailed answers."
The toy will cost $99 for children ages 4-7, but the first 200 customers can purchase it for a $10 discount, with delivery to start in November, wrote Cooper.
"Our goal is to provide toy companions that combine the promise of today's digital innovations with the curiosity implicit in play," said Donald Coolidge, Elemental Path"s co-founder.
"By integrating Watson, the most advanced AI in the world, with our advanced capabilities, we're bringing a first-of-its-kind product to consumers. We're poised to break into the toy market while aiming to inspire learning and interaction as kids make discoveries about the world around them," said Coolidge.
Related Stories:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.