Fisher-Price is planning to put the improved Think & Learn Smart Cycle on shelves later this fall after having unveiled the product at last month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The original Smart Cycle was released in 2007 as a plug-and-play model for TVs. The revamped version will focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and kids can connect to games using a tablet — hence the tablet holder on the stationary bike –or connect to a TV via Bluetooth. Games for the bike are on $4.99 apps.
Amber Pietrobono, Public Relations Manager of Fisher-Price, also noted in an email that a parent dashboard will be part of the app to monitor kids’ activity, along with toddlers’ ability to save games and pick up where they left off.
So excited to unveil this smart ride at #CES2017! #SmartCycle #CES pic.twitter.com/M4nUNiLL74
— Fisher-Price® (@FisherPrice) January 5, 2017
Some positive reviews of the Smart Cycle have emerged. The Verge and Tech Times have called the product “like SoulCycle for kids” and “spin class for kids,” respectively. Engadget crowned the Smart Cycle as the Best Offbeat Product at the show.
“We’re flattered because it means people see SmartCycle as more than a stationary bike,” Pietrobono wrote. “Just as SoulCycle is more than an indoor cycling class, Smart Cycle is empowering preschoolers to control their own learning adventure through pedaling.”
On the other hand, the bike has its critics. Fox News ran a segment that joked about how the product wouldn’t be able to solve childhood obesity, how the $150 price tag was “crazy for a kid toy” and how concerning it was kids already spend looking at screens. The Telegraph also questioned if children needed exercise bikes.
“The Think & Learn Smart Cycle is not an exercise bike for preschoolers, and the goal isn’t to burn calories or build muscle. But it is an outlet for their robust store of energy,” Pietrobono wrote. “The goal of Smart Cycle is to keep kids active and learning while engaged with technology.”
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“[In 2016] we launched the new Think & Learn preschool learning line around research that suggests preschoolers learn best and retain more when they’re engaged in active play,” she wrote. “For 2017, we’re re-introducing Smart Cycle because it…leverages new technology that makes for an even more engaging play experience, and kids still find it really fun!”
You can see the Think & Learn Smart Cycle for yourself at the upcoming Toy Fair New York from Feb. 18-21.