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AN INTERACTIVE toy that encourages young children to share could be the first
of a new generation of toys that could turn spoilt brats into civilised
people.

Justine Cassell of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
has created a virtual environment around a toy castle filled with dolls. But
unlike most doll’s houses, the child has to share this one with a 3D
computer-animated androgynous playmate called Sam.

Sam’s image is projected onto a screen on the other side of the castle, so
children can see what he’s up to by looking through the windows in each…

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