NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — A company has installed a new interactive "smart playground" in Norfolk.
Biba, a company capitalizing on the smart playground movement to decrease screen time and get kids outside, recently installed smart playgrounds here in Norfolk
To play any of Biba’s mobile games on the app, the parent always holds their smartphone and the child runs back and forth to interact with games/characters on the screen and complete scavenger hunts, races, etc. on the playground.
Augmented reality markers are attached to playground equipment (slide, swings, monkey bars, etc.) and function like QR codes to unlock new content, activate mini-games and more when scanned by the parent.
Tidewater Park and Meadowbrook park are the only parks in Norfolk that have the technology installed in their equipment, but you can still use the app at any park.
Marek Hallowell likes to take his son to the park as much as possible, and he thinks the new smart technology will encourage more families to get outside.
"Once you get home from a long day of work, it's kind of hard to say let's go to the park, let's do something. With an app that gets them out and gets them active, and they can earn stuff doing so as well, I think that might be a step towards progress with being more active," says Hallowell.
Click here to learn more about Biba and its playgrounds.
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