# Wearable Tactile Toys Smash-a-Ball is a Wearable Electronic Game for Visually Impaired Kids By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2015-04-07 | Life-Stages Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smash-a-ball References: [techcrunch](http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/17/smash-a-ball/) & [kickstarter](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/136531134/smash-a-ball-the-electronic-toy-for-the-visual-imp) Nadia Guevara and Pedro Bori, a pair of educational psychologists from Mexico teamed up to create Smash-a-Ball, a [wearable toy](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tetris-watch) that fosters cognitive development in children with vision impairments. The game consists of a few parts, including a backpack, a wrist-worn band and a board that provides [tactile feedback](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bionic). As Bori describes: "When the child is wearing the backpack he will get tactile stimulus from the backpack in a way that he/she has to mimic with the main board, as fast and precise possible." With components that give feedback and stimuli for pattern matching, this helps to improve a child's memory, reaction time, spatial awareness and confidence. In a child's later life, these skills are vital for adapting to unfamiliar environments and situations. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.9/10 - Popularity: 28% | Activity: 20% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Life-Stages](https://www.trendhunter.com/life-stages) > [Youth](https://www.trendhunter.com/youth) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Wearable Tactile Education:** Creating wearables with not just visual, but tactile stimuli to aid learning in children with disabilities. - **Electronic Toys for Inclusion:** Designing games and toys with electronic components that remove barriers to play and empower children with disabilities. - **Assistive Technology for Play:** Developing technologies that foster cognitive development and enable play in children with disabilities. ### Where This Applies - **Toy Manufacturing:** Innovating in the toy manufacturing industry to accommodate children with disabilities and provide more inclusive play experiences. - **Assistive Technology:** Providing cognitive and sensory assistive technology for persons with disabilities to advance the field of disability inclusion. - **Education Technology:** Incorporating touch and feedback in education-technology-enabled learning tools to promote cognitive development in children with disabilities. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Smart Fidget Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smart-fidget-toy.md) - [Multi-Sensory Education Devices](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vr-education-device.md) - [Wearable Non-Verbal Assistive Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wearable-assistive-system.md) - [Interactive Screen-Free Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/spin-play.md) - [Minimal Braille Learning Devices](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smartio-edu.md) - [Focus-Enhancing Gaming Devices](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/brainblink.md) - [Gamified Fitness Wearables](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bandai-vital-hero.md) - [Challenging Sensory Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/quick-pops.md) - [Tech-Enriched Sports Equipment](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/goal-concept.md)