Technology has indeed taken over every part of our lives. With video games leading the revolution, it was just a matter of time before the toy industry caught on. Augmented reality (AR) toys and games have revolutionised the way traditional games were played once upon a time. A global smart toys market size survey has predicted that the genre is going to grow to $20 million plus by the end of 2025.

Vinay Prakash, founder of Playautoma, a start-up in toys and games focusing on AR and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), explains why AR was needed. “The problem with toys which are physical in nature is that once they are played a few times, children lose interest and the toy goes back to the shelf. With digital and virtual games, there is a lot more variety, and children are able to engage more.” Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the object that resides in the real world is enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities. According to Vivek Goyal, founder and CEO of AR toys firm PlayShifu, “AR toys create a phygital interaction that merges physical and digital worlds and creates an immersive experience for kids.”