A Virobo staff helps a boy try out a Captain Eye robot (Photo courtesy of Virobo) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - A Hanoi-basedstart-up company is trying to help Vietnamese children protect their eyes andspines.
Founded in 2017 by former students from atechnology university in the capital city, Virobo produces robots that helpprevent myopia and scoliosis in pupils.
Named Captain Eye and small enough to stand on atable, the robots measure the distance between children’s eyes and their desksand make sure they sit in an upright posture so as not to hurt their spines.
“Lots of problems have been born as a result ofthis era of technology and economic development. Learning through mobile phonesand tablets and holding them too close are one of the main reasons that makechildren become short-sighted and ruin their spines,” said Nguyen Huu Cuong,Virobo’s marketing director.
“With sensors attached, the robots will knowwhen a child is holding a phone or tablet too close and when they are sittingin the wrong position, and utter sounds to remind them to adjust themselves,”he said.
Connected with a mobile application availablefor both Android and iOS users, the robots also act as a supervisor thatreminds children to follow their timetables, which can be planned and stored onthe application.
“Parents are often worried they can’t spend timehelping their children study and spend money [on extra classes] hoping to equipthem with good habits. But that’s not a continuous process, and parents areoften not patient enough with their children,” said Cuong.
“The robots will help the children to plan theirstudy and set goals, and share them with their parents through the mobileapplication so that the whole family can do it together,” he added.
“With this product, we hope to provide asolution that teaches children useful knowledge and help them develop necessaryskills. We also hope it will provide an opportunity for family members to spendmore time together and get closer to one another.”
As a young, technology-based start-up,Cuong said Virobo has experienced problems unique to the nature of his company.
“Since Vietnam’s supporting industries are still young,companies like us are rare and everything is difficult: human resourcesplanning, financing, hiring manufacturers,” he said.
It’s hard to do sales and marketing since their product isnew and few customers have experienced it, he added.
“The problem with having a new product is that we find itdifficult to convey a clear key message to customers.
“Think about it like the time when mobile phones didn’texist – no matter how hard you try you wouldn’t be able to explain to someonewho has never seen a mobile phone what a mobile phone is. That’s the type ofproblems we are having.”
With four out of six founding members technicians graduatingfrom the Hanoi University of Science and Technology – two of them won topprizes at the Asia-Pacific Robot Contest (Robocon) in Vietnam in 2007 – Cuongsaid it gives the company a solid technical foundation.
But being adept at technology is just a small part of whatmakes a business flourish, he added.
“Technology is just a constituent element of a business. Weneed people. A good and large enough body of staff.
“The direction, vision and mission we set for ourselves arealso important, as well as the processes of doing marketing, sales, systemmanagement and capital management.
“Of course, with start-ups all of those elements will not beavailable right from the beginning – it is a process that needs fine-tuning.And we can have different solutions in different stages of development.”
Starting technology-based businesses is a trend beingsupported by the Government and big corporations in Vietnam, Cuong added.
“But technology changes fast. And what most start-ups in Vietnamare doing is using applications already developed by other countries, which isquite a tidy process.
“This is a good opportunity, with lots of elementsincorporated, for them to channel their creativity and come up with productsthat bring benefits to customers.”
Having bought a robot for her seven-year-old, Hanoi residentLe Thi Phuong, 35, said automation is what she likes most about the product.
“I used to get my daughter anti-myopia equipment that can beplaced under her chin or worn on her back, but she felt very uncomfortable andoften refused to wear it after a few days.
“I find the robot’s schedule and reminder functions useful.My daughter used to have some bad habits, and being a spoiled child as she was,she sometimes failed to do what I set out for her.
“The robot has become a friend that reminds her to followher timetable.”-VNS/VNA
Founded in 2017 by former students from atechnology university in the capital city, Virobo produces robots that helpprevent myopia and scoliosis in pupils.
Named Captain Eye and small enough to stand on atable, the robots measure the distance between children’s eyes and their desksand make sure they sit in an upright posture so as not to hurt their spines.
“Lots of problems have been born as a result ofthis era of technology and economic development. Learning through mobile phonesand tablets and holding them too close are one of the main reasons that makechildren become short-sighted and ruin their spines,” said Nguyen Huu Cuong,Virobo’s marketing director.
“With sensors attached, the robots will knowwhen a child is holding a phone or tablet too close and when they are sittingin the wrong position, and utter sounds to remind them to adjust themselves,”he said.
Connected with a mobile application availablefor both Android and iOS users, the robots also act as a supervisor thatreminds children to follow their timetables, which can be planned and stored onthe application.
“Parents are often worried they can’t spend timehelping their children study and spend money [on extra classes] hoping to equipthem with good habits. But that’s not a continuous process, and parents areoften not patient enough with their children,” said Cuong.
“The robots will help the children to plan theirstudy and set goals, and share them with their parents through the mobileapplication so that the whole family can do it together,” he added.
“With this product, we hope to provide asolution that teaches children useful knowledge and help them develop necessaryskills. We also hope it will provide an opportunity for family members to spendmore time together and get closer to one another.”
As a young, technology-based start-up,Cuong said Virobo has experienced problems unique to the nature of his company.
“Since Vietnam’s supporting industries are still young,companies like us are rare and everything is difficult: human resourcesplanning, financing, hiring manufacturers,” he said.
It’s hard to do sales and marketing since their product isnew and few customers have experienced it, he added.
“The problem with having a new product is that we find itdifficult to convey a clear key message to customers.
“Think about it like the time when mobile phones didn’texist – no matter how hard you try you wouldn’t be able to explain to someonewho has never seen a mobile phone what a mobile phone is. That’s the type ofproblems we are having.”
With four out of six founding members technicians graduatingfrom the Hanoi University of Science and Technology – two of them won topprizes at the Asia-Pacific Robot Contest (Robocon) in Vietnam in 2007 – Cuongsaid it gives the company a solid technical foundation.
But being adept at technology is just a small part of whatmakes a business flourish, he added.
“Technology is just a constituent element of a business. Weneed people. A good and large enough body of staff.
“The direction, vision and mission we set for ourselves arealso important, as well as the processes of doing marketing, sales, systemmanagement and capital management.
“Of course, with start-ups all of those elements will not beavailable right from the beginning – it is a process that needs fine-tuning.And we can have different solutions in different stages of development.”
Starting technology-based businesses is a trend beingsupported by the Government and big corporations in Vietnam, Cuong added.
“But technology changes fast. And what most start-ups in Vietnamare doing is using applications already developed by other countries, which isquite a tidy process.
“This is a good opportunity, with lots of elementsincorporated, for them to channel their creativity and come up with productsthat bring benefits to customers.”
Having bought a robot for her seven-year-old, Hanoi residentLe Thi Phuong, 35, said automation is what she likes most about the product.
“I used to get my daughter anti-myopia equipment that can beplaced under her chin or worn on her back, but she felt very uncomfortable andoften refused to wear it after a few days.
“I find the robot’s schedule and reminder functions useful.My daughter used to have some bad habits, and being a spoiled child as she was,she sometimes failed to do what I set out for her.
“The robot has become a friend that reminds her to followher timetable.”-VNS/VNA
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