I just tried it on my kids' Legos. I made two scans, one per box: it found ~2500 bricks, which I think is a very high hit rate.
However, the build suggestions are very, very lacking. For reference, my kids are 8 and 4.
The builds proposed are very simple, small, and still mention missing pieces (probably related to colors, which honestly most kids don't care about).
I think my 8yo would like it, she tends to build "worlds", assembling many related contraption that each are fairly simple and match the themes found on suggestions.
As for my 4yo, forget it. He is a builder, making very elaborate and complex constructions, the bigger the better. He would find suggestions absolutely uninteresting.
I didn't try to scan Technic legos (which he is fond of and make astonishingly complex contraption given his age). But it's an even more complex problem to solve.
I suspect work on the app was focused on recognition, which honestly is impressive. The second part, finding models, maybe need a bit of work ?
I would recommend at least having an option to "ignore color": it's nice to have a build that looks good, but overall most kids - including myself - like to build first.
This is hilarious and makes me wonder about the relationship of the value of going viral with the repercussions in going viral before you feel you are ready for it.
Great, lots more people know about the app.
Not so great, some people's first impressions are negative because of flaws that you are probably already working to fix.
Overall it is an impressive app with lots of potential to be even better.
I always wanted to ask this to someone who made this choice, why build the iphone app before Android app? Also are there no good (in your view) frameworks where it will just work for both the platforms?
Cant answer for their reasons, but anecdotally I've seen this happen a few times and in each case the 'founder' of the app already had a load of experience developing for iOS / macOS / Swift. They then hired someone / learned how to do Android once the prototype was complete.
A lot of these things start out as ideas or hobby projects too, so generally the app starts being built for iOS because why wouldn't you write it with the stack you're already comfortable with / can use your own phone to test it.
I don't necessarily think its always a conscious 'we must do iOS first', but if you own an iPhone already and do iOS dev at work...
Oh I was looking for something like this but with a bit of a different intent: building from instructions, but of course you have to look for pieces in a random pile of legos. Use CV to identify the piece(s) you are looking for.
Would be awesome! Actually thought that was what this was doing at first as well.
Just downloaded it and tried it out. For the instructions it has, you can tap a part and it lights up the bounding box for that piece in the original image.
This is so cool! UX is so simple and smooth. I was impressed by just it counting how many bricks I put out. This will be fun with my daughters as they get older and we collect more.
Not at all. This idea that kids just spontaneously form ideas from a vacuum is obviously false. Inspiration comes from all sorts of guidance. I would have loved to know more techniques for building things when I was a kid and was stuck in the rut of similar ideas for a long time. I craved books that showed how to build things. I also created my own stuff but instruction material was gold. It took you to more exciting things than you could think of yourself.
My kids are way more creative than I at same age... because they watch speed builds on Youtube compared to me in a Vacuum in the 90's.
I absolutely agree that inspiration comes for all sort of things, not only those videos.
I applaud this app, I hope it evolves to offer more value to older kids.
> Kids don’t need an app like this, they still have imagination we’ve long left behind. :’)
My 5-year-old likes playing with built models a lot, and also likes building with instructions, but not free building. More instructions for the huge pile of Lego we have, he would like.
My 3-year-old is pretty much exclusively into (often quite elaborate) freebuilding. Even when kids are super creative, it doesn't manifest in the same way.
I agree, I observed my 3 year old often and he is more creative by applying his imagination. He tends to lose interest in building it himself he see something better than what he created. When I am helping him color and I color it precisely he just lose interest in coloring and say color it please you are better. If I don't help him at all he will finish the whole piece and even be proud of it. Now I color just like him so he will not lose interest during the coloring.
As for my 4yo, forget it. He is a builder, making very elaborate and complex constructions, the bigger the better. He would find suggestions absolutely uninteresting. I didn't try to scan Technic legos (which he is fond of and make astonishingly complex contraption given his age). But it's an even more complex problem to solve.
I suspect work on the app was focused on recognition, which honestly is impressive. The second part, finding models, maybe need a bit of work ? I would recommend at least having an option to "ignore color": it's nice to have a build that looks good, but overall most kids - including myself - like to build first.