Be Smart

Crave reports that a Brazilian designer named Bruno Oro de Abreu has been working on a Bluetooth-enabled teddy bear aimed at reducing isolation and improving socialisation for kids with cancer, or who have to spend long periods bedridden for other reasons.

The bear has a holographic display that can be used to surf the Internet, play games, attend remote classes, and make friends with other kids who have a Dilus. It also comes in a range of designs. At the moment, this is a graduation project, but Bruno Oro de Abreu hopes to have it on the market by 2010.

I'd hate to rain on his parade, as this seems like an ingenious design with very noble goals. It's just that... well, I still find talking teddy bears in loud designs as creepy as I did when I was 10. (But today's kids might be braver than me!) Also, there needs to be some way to monitor exactly who your kids are talking to...

I can't help wondering if a cute little Asus Eeepc is a better option. What do you think?