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MondlyAR — Learn languages in augmented reality
MondlyAR, the 1st 🥇 Augmented Reality experience in the world that helps you learn languages using:
✅ speech recognition 🗣
✅ chatbot technology 🤖
✅ Artificial Intelligence 👾
MondlyAR has been built in close collaboration with Google using Google’s ARCore augmented reality platform. The app is now available on Google Play.
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@rrhoover Hello Ryan, thanks for the thoughtful questions.
VR and AR are less accessible than simple mobile apps in the same way that planes are less accessible than cars.
While it requires newer hardware, AR is able to create a feeling of immersion that traditional mobile apps are not capable of.
Nothing compares with the illusion of seeing a 10 ft elephant, moving and trumpeting in your room. A photo cannot cannot convey that emotion.
Or admiring a life-size grand piano with all its details and from any angle, blending perfectly in your environment, with spatial sound that changes its intensity while you move to explore this work of art.
While this exploration happens, Mondly, the virtual teacher is aware of you and your environment at any moment.
She knows if you’re facing her, if you’re at the right or left of the piano and she can use this information in a dialogue: “If you move to the left you’ll see the strings”.
She can move closer to you, looks at you, follows you, gesticulates just like a real teacher would do to reinforce language and make the experience more memorable.
She can change from a teacher to a conversational partner just like in a SF movie. Want to practice ordering food at a restaurant? No problem - Mondly will change her outfit to accommodate the situation: “Que desea señor?”
She can understand what you are saying and help correct your pronunciation and can even answer some of your random questions.
I hope you see how combining the spatial capabilities of AR with the interactivity of chatbots and speech recognition can create a more personal and immersive learning experience, which is recognised by all studies to be the ideal ingredients for fast and effective learning.
As a US expat living in Berlin, trying to learn German, Mondly has been a huge help. I've used many language learning apps in the past but I tend to get bored after a while. Mondly seems to be the only app that I stick with longer than a few months. Now with AR, it makes learning German more engaging and entertaining. Of all the apps integrating AR into their products, this [for me] is the best use of AR I have seen. Great job guys!
Hey @tudori1 @iliescualex, augmented reality that teaches you languages? Please tell us more!
Thanks, @raulpopa! I would say MondlyAR falls into the category of self-learning even though the method involves using an augmented conversational partner.
There are quite a few studies highlighting the advantages of using virtual and augmented reality in learning.
Here are a few mentions:
https://www.researchgate.net/pub...
https://web.stanford.edu/~bailen...
https://www.businesswire.com/new...
Congrats for the launch!
How do you see this evolving in the next future? What can you share about your roadmap?
For example, I'd love to be able to mix this with camera translation like what Google Translate offers. I could scan objects and signs while traveling, and study them with AR added help :)
@immanuelkapa Hello Emanuelle, thx for the questions!
Image and object recognition is something we've been playing with for quite a while. Although we didn't launch it in v1, it is working quite well in our labs and it's planned to be released very soon.
Regarding our roadmap, we're planning to launch MondlyAR on iOS using ARKit, Apple's augmented reality SDK, at the end of this month.
We're also adding more languages with the goal to support 30 languages by this summer.
Cheers!
Hola Product Hunt, and Danke for hunting us, @chrismessina!
4 years ago we created Mondly with a sole vision: to help people learn languages online so they can have meaningful conversations in real life.
I truly believe that conversations are the ultimate goal of every language learner.
Here are the steps we made towards our vision in the past few years:
-Released the 1st voice-enabled language chatbot in the world (August 2016)
-Launched MondlyVR, the first virtual reality language app with speech recognition for Oculus (February 2017) and Daydream (September 2017)
-Today, we are introducing MondlyAR - The first augmented reality language learning experience with chatbots and speech recognition (March 2018) on ARCore
Mondly AR introduces a lifelike avatar that carries humanlike conversations and offers instant feedback on your pronunciation.
With the power of ARCore it can virtually teleport all kinds of objects into your living room, creating a new kind of immersive experience. This makes learning fun and memorable.
We are thrilled with this version of the product, but there's room to grow. Now I’m turning to you, the toughest crowd in the tech world, for feedback and ideas on how to take Mondly one step forward.
@iliescualex What does Augmented Reality add to this? It seems to me like it adds nothing meaningful at all to the learning process, just an additional step that will grow tiresome for users. Let me know if I'm missing something.
@william_falloon Hi William, great question!
What we are seeing with AR is that it's able to create a better feeling of immersion that stimulates better interaction with the learning materials.
Nothing compares with the illusion of seeing a 10 ft elephant, moving and trumpeting in your room. A photo or an illustrated image in an app cannot cannot convey that emotion.
Or admiring a life-size grand piano with all its details and from any angle, blending perfectly in your environment, with spatial sound that changes its intensity while you move to explore this work of art.
While this exploration happens, Mondly, the virtual teacher is aware of you and your environment at any moment.
She knows if you’re facing her, if you’re at the right or left of the piano and she can use this information in a dialogue: “If you move to the left you’ll see the strings”.
She can move closer to you, looks at you, follows you, gesticulates just like a real teacher would do to reinforce language and make the experience more memorable.
She can change from a teacher to a conversational partner just like in a SF movie. Want to practice ordering food at a restaurant? No problem - Mondly will change her outfit to accommodate the situation: “Que desea señor?”
She can understand what you are saying and help correct your pronunciation and can even answer some of your random questions.
I hope you see how combining the spatial capabilities of AR with the interactivity of chatbots and speech recognition can create a more personal and immersive learning experience, which is recognised by all studies to be the ideal ingredients for fast and effective learning.
@graeme_fulton Hello Graeme, we thought this would be a great idea too. So we have object recognition working in our labs and we'll release it soon with an update.
@graeme_fulton @iliescualex This will be a true game changer. If it can basically recognize things around me and teach me that, my god would that be super useful and a fantastic use of AR
@graeme_fulton @iliescualex @swiftpolar Imagine applying this tech to teach more subjects in schools like chemistry or biology. Or imagine having games where you use speech recognition to make them feel more real than ever
Congrats on the product guys! For me, being a visual, this could be the best thing ever!
LookIng forward to the iOS version 🙏🏼
Chatbot technology is something new! Now those who have speaking issues can practice beforehand. Awesome!
Yes, @tuiaara_linnala. Chatbots are something new and they are here to stay. Thanks for your support!
There is no reason that this should be an AR app. Reviews like: 'Really cool use of AR' reek of garbage. Sounds like the team at Mondly is just shilling this.
Pros:The core of the app looks useful
Cons:This app adds absolutely no value by being in AR. It's pure gimmick. This could work just as well as a regular app with no AR component.
Hello, William :). For procrastinators - like me - this app is just perfect. I believe that this is just about knowing your target. This kind of "gimmick" might determine those of us who are lazy to finally learn some words in that language we've been wanting to learn for a long time.
You are right. Mondly works just fine without the AR component. We have over 30 million users and a 4.7-star rating in both Google Play and the App Store out of over 700,000 reviews.
When Apple and Google announced that they are going all in on AR, I was thrilled. Augmented reality is the technology we have been waiting for since Mondly's initial launch in 2014.
Here's why: I feel like the school system failed me when it comes to learning a language. After 10 years of French, I took a trip to Africa and I could barely have a conversation. I was thrilled when Alex, the CEO of Mondly, shared with me his vision: to build a language app that gets people talking as soon as possible rather than focusing on boring grammar exercises.
With MondlyAR we are staying true to our vision and taking it one step further.
I believe that AR has the power to change the way people learn anything from chemistry, to history, and languages.
This looks a lot like magic. Even my 70 years old grandma would like this! :)
Pros:Offers a seamless experience
Cons:Doesn't have any
Learning languages in school is notoriously Boring! I took German and French for 8+ years and still can't speak either fluently. This app is super cool, it's no longer about the end result, learning to speaking the language, it's about the whole experience.
Pros:FUN and quirky
Cons:might be good to have a male teacher also?
I can really see myself learn a language in AR
Pros:really cool use of augmented reality
Cons:none
I like the design and the idea, thank you!
Pros:Very funny and unique
Cons:It is small yet
@katriketoja, indeed it does. MondlyAR works on 100 million Android devices that are ARCore enabled. Any of these phones will do: Pixel 1, 2, Samsung Galaxy S7, S8, Note 8, LG’s V30, ASUS Zenfone AR and OnePlus 5. Here's the Android download link: https://play.google.com/store/ap...
For me, learning a new language takes a lot of commitment. MondlyAR is fun and engaging... makes it all easier. <3
Pros:Fun and engaging.
Cons:none
Mondly continues to raise the bar and far exceed other language apps. The new AR functionality adds more fun and variety to language-learning process. That's always as a good thing as it can be a slog to stay on task while trying to learn another language. Highly recommended-give it a try!
Pros:By FAR the best language out there, much better than Duolingo.
Cons:None
I'm impressed with each iteration of the Mondly product and looking forward to seeing how it evolves further :)
Pros:Fun and easy way to start learning a language. Great job Mondly!!
Cons:Nothing bad to say.
Keep up the good work! Amazing app, I am glad to see that there are fun alternatives to learning a language.
Pros:Cool app. Useful content. It really got me.
Cons:None - waiting for more languages.
The app needs to have higher difficulty levels (including grammar) for the ones who have been using it for years. It never gets more advanced after a certain degree. Otherwise, the learners still may have to study grammar books and other sources.
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