Channel NewsAsia 27 Mar 08;
SINGAPORE: Imagine a playground that's fully electronic.
That's what one entrepreneur is hoping to introduce to children with its unique and innovative system.
Town Councils said they need time to assess the new innovation and if they implement them, it would most likely be at some of the larger neighbourhood parks. The playground system costs between S$40,000 to S$60,000.
One of the most important elements’ of the playground will be the racer bike which when pedalled, gets the rest of the game systems powered up and activated.
Allan Ang, Managing Director of RetroMax, said: "They have to peddle to generate the electricity and it's stored within a capacitor. All this is done in a very safe way, it's very low voltage. So, once the electrical energy is stored, they can proceed to play various games within the play area itself." - CNA/vm
Dream playground now a reality here
KidPower is all about high tech – and safety, too
Ng Jing Yng, Today Online 28 Mar 08;
IMAGINE going to your neighbourhood playground and hopping onto a bicycle with a speedometer so you know how fast you are going, plus engine sounds to double the thrill.
And after three to four minutes of pedalling, you will be able to play "catching" with beaming light sensors that challenge you to tap them before the lights go out.
This is no dream playground but a reality that will hit Singapore later this year. Unveiled yesterday by local playground supplier Retromax in collaboration with United States manufacturer Landscape Structures, the new electronic playground — known as KidPower (picture) — is set to replace traditional playgrounds at local estates.
And with one other big plus — safety.
Spring Singapore is rolling out new specifications today, and Retromax is set to comply with the safety standards.
With its low-rise structures and wide-space zones, KidPower is designed to reduce the risk of falls and accidents, said Mr Allan Ang, managing director of Retromax.
High structures, especially those monkey bars often found in older playgrounds, have been blamed for causing many playground accidents here.
Dr Peter Wong from the children's emergency department at KK Women's and Children's Hospital said he "sees several children each day with playground-sustained injuries".
The majority of his young patients suffer from elbow fractures as a result of falling from monkey bars, he added. Some of the injuries are serious enough that the children have to be hospitalised.
Mr Ang said that KidPower is designed to challenge children both mentally and physically. At the core of its system is the bike, Gener-Racer, which generates electricity to power the entire playground.
Children can go to seven different zones such as the Vertzone, where they will be able to tap lit touchpads placed at various heights, or the Lightpacer, where they tap light sensors in an order they must first memorise.
When the prototype of KidPower was built on a trial site in the United States earlier this year, it received positive responses from children, parents and disabled groups, which regarded the playground as disabled-friendly.
Mr Jason Sim, managing director of Playpoint, a company dealing with playground structures here, agreed that innovative playgrounds such as KidPower are needed for a generation raised on a diet of Nintendo and Xbox and known for their short attention span.
Apart from new safety guidelines, future playgrounds must also incorporate electronic and artificial intelligence into playground equipment, Mr Sim added.
Electronic playgrounds like KidPower will cost between $40,000 and $60,000 to install and its promoters hope that these playgrounds will also yield some health benefits — by helping children to lose weight.
