Skip to main content

Mattel ditches its child-focused smart hub following criticism

Mattel Aristotle
Mattel
Mattel has taken another look at its smart-home device for kids and decided it doesn’t want to release it after all.

The decision to scrap Aristotle followed growing criticism from two camps: Privacy advocates and child-development experts.

Mattel took the wraps off its $300 child-focused hub at CES at the start of 2017. A kind of “Echo for kids,” the connected device made use of artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and Internet of Things technology to offer a range of features designed to educate, entertain, and soothe your toddler.

So if, for example, your baby started crying in the middle of the night, Aristotle would spring into action, bringing up the lights, playing a lullaby, and sending an alert to the parents’ smartphones. A built-in camera also allowed it to function as a baby monitor, while incorporated mics enabled voice control.

But this week Mattel told the Washington Post it’s canceling plans to launch Aristotle as it doesn’t “fully align with Mattel’s new technology strategy.”

The decision was reportedly taken by Sven Gerjets, the company’s chief technology officer who joined Mattel in July, and comes amid mounting criticism of the product from privacy groups and child-development specialists.

In a letter sent to Mattel just a week ago, Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) asked for more details on how the company would handle data collected by the device.

“Aristotle appears capable of recording and transmitting personal and sensitive information about a child’s development back to Mattel,” the pair wrote in the letter, adding, “Never before has a device had the capability to so intimately look into the life of a child … Consumers should know how this product will work and what measures Mattel will take to protect families’ privacy and secure their data.”

Mattel had said before that it would encrypt all gathered information and never sell it to a third-party, in compliance with COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act), though such assurances would’ve done little to satisfy those anxious about other potential infringements such as camera hacks.

Child development

Pediatrician Jennifer Radesky told the Post she felt uneasy about how Aristotle might affect a child’s development, voicing concerns about how a piece of technology could become “the most responsive household member to a crying child, a child who wants to learn, or a child’s play ideas.”

While all of the major tech firms have been busy unveiling new smart speakers for the home, it seems there’s still plenty of work to be done before similar devices aimed at children gain broad acceptance.

This isn’t the first time Mattel has run into problems with one of its high-tech toys. In 2015 its Hello Barbie doll hit the headlines when security experts revealed that children’s recorded conversations with the Wi-Fi-connected doll could potentially be accessed by hackers.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Vivint’s new updates make its smart home system even smarter
vivint doorbell outdoor camera pro updates  lifestyle 1

I've had a Vivint smart home for about 18 months, ever since reviewing the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro and the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro. For the most part, I find them to be incredibly smart and useful. Plus, the integration with Google and Philips Hue in particular up the "whole-home smart home" game when I can unlock my front door and have my lights turn on. This week, Vivint announced updates to the Doorbell Pro and Outdoor Camera Pro, and it's great to see that "smart" extends to the company itself. Let's dive in.
On-device recording
Vivint upgraded all of its camera products -- the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro, Outdoor Camera Pro, and Indoor Camera Pro -- in a pretty significant way. Vivint added on-device recording for 24/7 monitoring for up to 10 days. All that footage is stored on the device, which is significant in one keyway. The previous generation of the cameras streamed footage in real-time from the cameras to a separately purchased smart hard drive. From there, if you wanted to review the footage, it would stream back over Wi-Fi to Vivint's servers, and back to your phone.

Put simply, this can cause a significant hit on your home Wi-Fi's bandwidth. With the new cameras, the footage is stored on a secure SD card locally and only transmitted when it's being streamed or viewed. Meanwhile, onboard AI will continue generating smart clips detailing what happens (people, packages, etc). Plus, aside from freeing up bandwidth on your home network, local recording storage also works even when your Wi-Fi is down. All told, it's enough to get me pretty geeked, so I'll be excited to test these things out. That's the biggest news that covers all the devices, so let's get into each device in particular.
Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro

Read more
Wemo expands its home security lineup with a smart video doorbell
The Wemo Video Doorbell works with HomeKit Secure Video.

Wemo is known for easy-to-use smart home products, but its lineup has always been on the smaller side compared to the competition. The Wemo Smart Plug has earned a spot on our list of best smart plugs, but the company never focused heavily on home security -- until now. Today at CES 2022, Wemo announced the Wemo Smart Video Doorbell.

This video doorbell has a 178-degree field of view combined with a 4-megapixel camera. Throw in the enhanced night vision and zoom functionality, and you can keep an eye on what's happening not just at your door, but in your yard, too. The Wemo Smart Video Doorbell works exclusively with HomeKit Secure Video, which also means it's easy to set up and manage through the Home App.

Read more
Lenovo Smart Display vs. Google Nest Hub
5 google assistant smart display features worth checking out lenovo 10 inch with 768x768

Many of us are investing in home hubs, where we can get virtual butler service, smart home control, and organization of our smart home gear at our beck and call. While Amazon’s Echo devices and Google Nest Hubs are two of the granddaddies of home automation technology, Lenovo also makes a home automation hub that piggybacks on the power of the Google Assistant. So should you get the original Google Nest Hub or look to Lenovo’s Smart Display?
Does the Lenovo Smart Display work with Google Home?
Google Nest Hub Max John Velasco/Digital Trends

It’s important to note right out of the gate that both the Google Nest Home Hub and Hub Max are native Google devices, and obviously, Google Assistant is built-in and works seamlessly on these products. Google Assistant can do a lot for you, from answering questions to making calls and appointments, maintaining lists, and keeping you updated on the latest news.

Read more