Osmo is launching a developer program

Osmo is launching a developer program

Educational software startup Tangible Play has long stood alone with its approach to take iPad games beyond the screen: The company’s Osmo hardware kit includes a mirror that reflects the iPad’s camera view onto your tabletop, allowing kids to interact with letter tiles, Tangram puzzle pieces and other physical objects that are being tracked by Osmo’s apps.

Over the years, Tangible Play has developed around Osmo 20 apps on its own, including simple drawing games and sophisticated coding kits. Earlier this year, Osmo expanded to the iPhone. Now, Tangible Play appears ready to open the floodgates with a dedicated developer program.

• The company recently began alpha testing an SDK that allows developers to build iOS apps for the Osmo platform.

• Support for Unity and Android is planned as well, according to Osmo’s newly-launched developer website.

• That site also includes a few metrics about Tangible Play’s existing business: The company claims to have sold 10 million devices, which have been used 586 million times.

• Tangible Play has been working with 50,000 schools, according to the website.

I’ve been a fan of Osmo and its very unique approach to augmenting reality since I first got to try it close to a decade ago. At the same time, I always thought that one could do a lot more with this technology. Games for adults, perhaps, or even non-gaming apps. Personally, I can’t wait to see what kind of things third-party developers come up with.

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