AI Clova Lamp Reads Books to You and Your Kids

Wish your kids would read more? Maybe they just need a little push from artificial intelligence!

Meet the Clova Lamp from South Korean tech company Naver Corp. It uses computer vision and AI to convert text and images from a book into speech. The smart lamp also features an integrated virtual assistant that can explain the meaning of words and answer kids’ questions to help them learn.

The Clova Lamp looks like a normal desktop lamp and is rendered in matte white, shock-resistant plastic, with a head that is angled down towards the desk. It features a ring-shaped LED light with a small camera in the center. The camera uses image recognition technology to decode illustrations and identifies written words using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). The text or images are then converted to speech.

“It speaks in a natural [Korean] voice, developed using voice synthesis technology to create a more engaging experience for listeners. It can also read English and Japanese books with a native-like, human-sounding voice that can intrigue kids to self-study these languages,” James Kim, head of the design team.

AI Clova Lamp Will Track Progress

To operate, the user simply has to hit the “Read” button or give a voice command. The Clova lamp will even store a list of completed books and will reward kids with badges for different milestones. It will also offer parents insight into their child’s reading patterns and help them to choose other books.

Along with having the ability to read books aloud, its also a pretty functional light. The lamp provides provide a responsive light that is easy on the eyes. It will automatically sense the brightness of the surroundings and picks one of five lighting levels to match. There are four color temperature modes- – reading, creativity, repair, and sleep – which were designed based on a pool of data around different learning environments.

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