Kidzonia!

What it does

Kidzonia! turns scoliosis screening into a fun, story-based adventure! Designed to ease anxiety in children while ensuring accuracy and precision, this accessible booth hopes to encourage active participation and early detection - no more clinic dread!

Your inspiration

We began by identifying feasible areas for bone angle measurements. After consulting professionals and children, we focused on scoliosis screening, often highlighted as a major concern. Talking to those with and without scoliosis, we learned how screenings can cause discomfort, fear, and stigma, especially for young girls. Inaccurate measurements can also lead to serious long-term physical and mental consequences. Children feared clinics and the idea of being “diagnosed.” Sympathizing with all these experiences, we decided the solution should be a fun, accurate, and stigma-free screening that encourages early detection and empowers children.

How it works

Kidzonia! is a foldable, portable booth that can be easily set up in places like schools, malls, or clinics, allowing it to be accessible. Inside, a projector plays an immersive story that guides children through fun, natural movements. As children follow the story and strike specific poses, a built-in camera captures their posture; the story pauses for the camera to do the checks then continues when the measurement is done. Using software like Vuemotion, the system accurately measures their spinal angles, and matches the data. If any irregularities are detected, a doctor is notified for a second check, to ensure that there are no errors. The story only continues once each pose is correctly completed, ensuring both accuracy and engagement, this all happens in just 3–5 minutes (depending on how qucikly the children strike the pose). The foldable walls also allow the space to be modified based on the constraints of the location it will be used to set up.

Design process

We started with the idea of using AI-led measurements. However, early attempts showed that the AI was unreliable and inaccurate, which could result in mistrust from children and their parents. We quickly pivoted to the idea of a physical booth. Our first prototype was a solid four-walled booth. We ran several iterations to get the projection right—ensuring the projector had the correct distance and angle to clearly display visuals on the wall. Initially, the booth had thunderstorm sound effects and dark visuals, which scared some children. We redesigned the story with calming background music and friendly, colorful visuals to create a welcoming atmosphere, adding fairy lights and a fake waterfall at the entrance. Another issue was children not understanding the instructions. We added a helpful on-screen avatar to demonstrate the required poses, along with audio prompts to read the instructions out loud. We're still refining the bone angle measurement using the Vuemotion software, customizing its code to improve accuracy and consistency, through continuous testing and feedback. We added a patch of grass on the ground as well to mark and indicate where the user should stand to allow the best angle measurements. This was after tests that blocked the camera/projection.

How it is different

What makes Kidzonia unique is its fusion of medical screening and storytelling. Unlike typical scoliosis screenings that are clinical, intimidating, and static, Kidzonia transforms the experience into a playful adventure. Children follow a projected story that guides them into specific poses, allowing accurate measurements to be taken naturally and without fear. Unlike traditional setups, Kidzonia is portable, foldable, and adaptable to any space—whether a school, mall, or clinic. It’s also semi-automated: the system pauses until the child completes the correct pose, ensuring accurate posture capture. Most importantly, Kidzonia uses clear audio, visual prompts, and a demo avatar to ensure instructions are easily understood. It isn’t just a diagnostic tool—it’s an engaging, accessible, and emotionally sensitive experience that improves trust, comfort, and early detection for all children.

Future plans

The future of Kidzonia! is very bright! Firstly, like its inspiration Kidzania, we want the booths and it stories to have limitless themes for the children to engage in. This will keep them entertained. The camera will also be upgarded such that it will be able to detect multiple children at once, utilizing space if there is more space and expediting the process greatly. Future iterations for accuracy will also use different software for the camera, as well the projector, trying to ensure that the estimations and optimisations are much easier and accessible for anyone to set up the booth.

Awards