The TCL Tbot turns your kids’ smartwatch into an educational, smile-inducing robot companion

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom’s Guide)

TCL claims the Tbot is the world’s first AI desktop pal for kids that uses a smartwatch. From my research, this checks out. But what does the Tbot actually do?

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The Tbot is an always accessible companion that lives on a desk or table — sort of like a kid-friendly version of Alexa — that can answer questions, engage in child-appropriate chats, alert parents to emergencies, promote good posture, encourage good time management, read bedtime stories, set alarms, and more. That’s a lot of features!

Oh yeah, it charges the watch, too.

Just like TCL’s line of kid-centric Movietime smartwatches, the TCL Tbot offers ample parental controls, allowing you, the caregiver, to choose which features your child has access to (or not) and when.

On the health and safety side, when set upon a user’s bedside, the Tbot monitors sleep quality, reporting any disturbances and/or restlessness, along with overall time spent asleep. It can also automatically contact a parent or guardian if a fall or medical emergency is detected.

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(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom’s Guide)

Once your TCL Movietime smartwatch is placed on the Tbot’s magnetic charging dock, the fun begins. The screen instantly switches to a goofy face that periodically changes and follows you around playfully via a rotation mechanism in the base of the accessory.

While this is easily the least important of its features, it’s also the only one that brought a big smile to my face, and that’s a big selling point, in my book.

Ultimately, the TCL Tbot is just a concept for now. However, I’m seriously hopeful TCL will eventually bring it to market. If that happens, I wouldn’t expect it to cost more than $200, given the priciest TCL smartwatch for kids is around $150.