Wonder Tree is moving forward to help the needs of special children. They are to promote some games based on special needs of such children.

The Wonder Tree is the Pakistani startup from Karachi that won the third prize at Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Tech-I Startup Competition last year. The competition was held at Stanford University.

The Chief Technical Officer Muhammad Usman who is also the co founder of the startups stated that ones his elder brother who is born with special needs was playing on PlayStation and was enjoying it. That day he decided to do something for the special children. He quoted, “It was then when all the dots connected and I realized what I wanted to do.”

For the children suffering from autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, ADHD and other mental disabilities games will be designed in presence of special education teachers, occupational therapists and psychologists.

The startup has been successful in designing  four games for such children.

The games are developed keeping in mind the ease to operate and play as they just need a kinect v2 sensor, a television and a laptop to run.

The games also features the reporting system that keeps the record of children’s performance.

A special needs student plays a WonderTree game. Source: WonderTree.

Usman had much to say about it. He said,

“We’re working on ways of using this data to build AI (artificial intelligence) into our games so in the future; our games will be able to adjust the difficulty levels and other settings as per the child’s needs, progress and disability. This will make our games highly efficient. We’re really excited about this.”

Rangoonwala Special School, Special Olympics Pakistan and Wonder Tree have worked in collaboration to test the technology of Wonder Tree. The Wonder Tree has also sent the proposal to seven other schools for special children to test the effectiveness of the games.

The Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Waqas said on the occasion,

“We’re also collaborating with the Institute of Professional Psychology (IPP) for feedback and improvement on our games. A MoU has been signed between  Wonder Tree and the Network of Organizations Working with People with Disabilities, Pakistan (NOWPDP) recently to further assess the startup’s technology.”

He also said, “Our team is small, but we’re working hard to make our games available and accessible to everyone.”

He further added,

“Very soon our games will be available for download through our website or through the Windows store. So anyone with a laptop, a kinect sensor (which can be bought from stores or ordered online) and an internet connection, can download our games that benefit special children.”

The program is in its initial stage but the company is hopeful to extend the program to a large scale so that many children can get benefit from the game.

Waqas said ,

“We know that the prerequisite hardware is not cheap, but it’s still a better solution compared to the unavailability of trained psychologists, special educators and therapists in Pakistan.”

He also said that the startup is trying to make it affordable by decreasing hardware requirement.

Waqas said,

“We’re already tapping into local NGOs and plan on approaching the government too.”

He further added,

“But we cannot do this task alone. Our specialty lies in creating a turnkey, cheaper and effective solution for special education and therapy. Implementation is another ball game and we’ll need all the help we can get.”

Special children are part of our society we should embrace them rather than neglecting them to create a better society and a better life for the special children.

The post This Pakistani Startup Helps Special Children to Learn through Interactive Games appeared first on Techlist.

That’s why video games are a live saver. No really, I can avoid the sun and still have a good time playing all the awesome video games that are coming out this summer. Because I’m a nice person, I’ve compiled this handy list of the best video games coming out this summer. You’re welcome.

Edge of Nowhere

This virtual reality game is for the Oculus Rift. You’re Victor Howard, a dude on a journey through Antarctica to find his Ava Thorne, Howard’s wife who’s gone MIA.

Initially, you’ll start playing this Awesome video games thinking you’re just going through your run-of-the mill action-adventure tale, but soon you’ll find yourself in a dark, scary world full of the supernatural and mysterious. Victor encounters monster after monster and dives further into insanity as he searches for his one-true love. My kind of game.

Platform: Oculus Rift (PC)

Release date: June 6

Trials of the Blood Dragon

Ubisoft, which made one of my favorites “Assassin’s Creed” sometimes makes strange games. Trials of the Blood Dragon is one such oddity game. It’s just plain strange.

A combination of “Blood Dragon” (think Far Cry) and the Trials franchise (2D motocross in a nutshell) mixed with a dash of neon pink and you’ve got yourself a fun (?) motorbike racing game.

Release date: June 13, 2016

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE

Do you like pop music? Do you like saving the world from demons? Whelp, this game will be right up your alley. You will use the power of J-pop to save the world from demons and become the biggest pop idol in Japan. Move over, AKB48.

Release date: June 24, 2016

Platforms: Wii U

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Don’t get too excited. It’s the same as all the other Lego games (actually, isn’t that a reason to get very excited?). This third-person action game combines humor with a Lego version of “The Force Awakens”. You can play as your favorite Star Wars villains or heroes.

What makes this game extra fun is that it adds some story content in between The Force Awakens and Return of the Jedi, so this isn’t just some story; it’s actually a part of the canon!

Release date: June 28, 2016

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Mighty No. 9

Boy did I love Mega Man. Luckily for me Might No.9 is quite similar, sort of like Mega Man’s spirit animal. It was created by Keiji Inafune and since the poor dude doesn’t have the rights to Mega Man, he just created a character just like him.

Release Date: June 21, 2016

Platforms: , PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS

“Mirror’s Edge Catalyst”

First-person games are a dime in a dozen. First-person shooters are even more common. You’ve played them. I’ve played them. Everyone’s played one, but “Mirror’s Edge” does things differently.

It’s still first-person, but you aren’t a gun. I mean, you don’t have a gun, you’re just a person who can kick major but using awesome acrobatic moves to take down gun-toting enemies.

Release Date: May 24, 2016

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Deus Ex is a pretty fun franchise. Not much has changed in “Mankind Divided”; you’re still Adam Jensen, you’re still playing in first-person, and you still get to take down bad guys. You can chop and gun your way through your foes, or just sneak through all ninja style.

Release Date: August 23, 2016

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC

Hawken

In Hawken your aim is to fight big metal vehicles. Sounds fun, right? Hey, if you like shooters, but don’t like dying, in Hawken you take down foes from the safety if your own big metal vehicle. Clearly, this multiplayer game doesn’t take itself too seriously, and neither should you.

Release Date: July 1, 2016 on Xbox One, July 8, 2016 on PlayStation 4

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC

Videoball

If you like old-school looking games, you’ll enjoy tis 2D game that’s a blend of air hockey and football.  Sort of. Whatever the case, it looks great and you’ll definitely enjoy Videoball.

Release Date: July 12, 2016

Platforms: Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Inside

Have you ever been in Limbo? I’m talking about the game here, it was a fun game with a unique art style. Inside is also made by the Nordic studio Playdead; it’s the studio’s second game ever and it took a staggering six years to make.

Those six years were well spent. Inside is a 2D puzzle version of the game Limbo that’s just as unique and just as fun. Inside expands quite a bit on the previous game, Limbo. This is one you don’t want to miss out on.

Release Date: June 29, 2016 on Xbox One, July 7, 2016 on PC

Platforms: Xbox One, PC

No Man’s Sky

If you have a lot of time on your hands to play Awesome video games and are ready to dive into the endless place known as outer space, then No Man’s Sky is the game for you. It’s a first-person space exploration game that you’ll probably die before finishing.

The game was developed by Hello Games and there are millions upon billions of planets to explore. Sounds like a blast.

Release Date: August 9, 2016

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC

Madden NFL 17

No good game rec article would be complete with Madden. Like clockwork, Madden NFL will be coming out this August. The good news for us though is that Franchise Mode will be changed so that online players can’t cheat as much.

Release date: August 23, 2016

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

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