City of Tampere: Globi Kamu AR

From Prototype to Full Development

Globi Kamu AR undertook development when Anthony and our freelancer artist Nikolai Jonasson decided to take part in this project during their studies. The initial concept was to make a complete game, but that wasn’t practical due to time limitations, so it was agreed to make an interactive app of sorts. The main focus was to make the app in a way that all the intended users, aged 2-5, could understand the application, learn and most importantly, have fun. 

Mohavi stepped in to continue the project with full force in early 2020. Now with the help of Co-founder and Lead Programmer Severi Jokiperä, all base features were improved, more interactivity was implemented and five minigames were designed and developed.

Bringing Modern Technology to Preschoolers

The interactivity inside of Globi Kamu AR has been designed to work with very young users. Users might not be able to read, but smartphones and tablets are very intuitive in use, even to young children. The environments and minigames have been designed to feel the same way. The City of Tampere is planning to distribute the application and cards into daycares to introduce modern technologies.

Globi Kamu AR uses five different AR cards to function. These interactive cards work well on their own and they each have an interactive environment and a unique theme. The front of the cards have a picture and the application uses that as a target image. Once a target image is seen by the application, a 3D environment appears on top of the card. Each of the cards also incorporate a unique minigame to enhance the interactive experience.

Preschoolers will be able to learn the possibilities of new technology and interact with the teachers and care takers in exciting new ways. They can use the application by themselves or in groups. The interactivity and the cards themselves help keep the attention of children, so teachers and care takers can also use it as a powerful teaching tool.

Positive Reception

From user testing, Globi Kamu AR has been widely enjoyed and we added more interactivity with what they enjoyed most, the audio. Users as young as two-year-olds have been able to grasp the concept. The application will be introduced to daycare children throughout Tampere this upcoming autumn.

We are glad the City of Tampere is looking for ways to use emerging technologies, such as AR. We were also extremely pleased by the ease of communication and cooperation with Tampere during this project. We can’t wait to see Globi Kamu in daycares soon!