Indonesia 2025 - In a world where the glow of a screen has become an almost automatic solution to a restless child, four young changemakers dared to imagine something different. They saw what others saw. A toddler pacified by a tablet at dinner, a child demanding cartoons at the mall. But instead of shrugging it off as modern parenting, they asked: Is there a better way?

The answer was PawPal, an AI-powered smart doll created not just as a toy, but as a trusted friend and screen-free learning companion. Born out of everyday observations, emotional reflections, and rigorous technical development, PawPal represents the soul of what Samsung Innovation Campus aims to nurture. Innovation driven by empathy, guided by curiosity, and committed to real-world impact.

Seeing a Problem, Feeling the Urgency

The inspiration behind PawPal was not a sudden moment of genius, but a pattern the team couldn't ignore. It began with small but repeated scenes. Parents at restaurants handing over phones to their children just to get a few quiet minutes, children growing distressed when screens were taken away, and even toddlers becoming visibly calmer the moment a device was placed in their hands. At first, these interactions seemed harmless, perhaps even necessary. But over time, the team realized that something more troubling was taking shape: a growing dependency on screens to regulate children’s emotions and behavior.

For Angeline Rachel, the project’s Product Manager, the concern was personal. She saw these habits begin to take root in her own family. “My niece becomes calm and sits still as soon as a screen is given to her,” she explained. “It has become a go-to solution for keeping her quiet, which raises concerns about how easily children can become reliant on screens for emotional regulation.”

Other team members shared similar stories and experiences from public spaces. “We’d be out at malls or restaurants and see kids throwing tantrums when the screen time ended,” added Ellena. “It wasn’t just one or two families. It was everywhere.” The team began researching and discovered that this was far more than a passing trend. The effects of screen overexposure on children were well documented. Reduced attention spans, sleep disturbances, delayed social development, and it was clear that something needed to be done.

That shared observation, coupled with personal concern, became the emotional backbone of what would eventually become PawPal.

Choosing the Most Critical Years

The team made a deliberate decision to design PawPal for children aged four to eight. This age range, they noted, represents a vital stage in emotional, linguistic, and social development. It is when children learn how to express feelings, communicate with others, and form the foundations of learning habits that can last a lifetime. Rachel explained, “Children at this age still gravitate toward stuffed animals, role play, and imagination. We saw that as a beautiful opportunity to create something that could naturally fit into their world while supporting growth.”

Older children tend to seek more complex stimuli and often move away from plush companions, but for those in early childhood, the magic of make-believe and emotional bonding remains strong. That’s where PawPal fits in—not as a replacement for parents or teachers, but as a gentle partner that helps children grow, think, and feel without a glowing screen between them and the world.

From Idea to Impact: How Rarevolution Was Born

What began as a casual conversation quickly evolved into something bigger. Rachel and Adeline had been chatting about joining a competition. Not with grand expectations, but as a way to challenge themselves and try something new. That spark of curiosity led them to the Samsung Innovation Campus, where they formalized their team under the name Rarevolution. Soon, they were joined by Ellena and Rowen, each bringing their own expertise and perspective.

Their team was more than the sum of its parts. Rachel took the lead on product strategy and user experience. Adeline, with a background in hardware, managed the intricacies of the IoT system. Rowen brought the doll to life through machine learning, designing the intelligence that enables PawPal to “listen” and respond. Ellena built the front-end dashboard where parents can monitor and engage with their child’s learning journey.

But what truly set the team apart wasn’t just technical skill. It was their shared willingness to ask hard questions and push themselves beyond their comfort zones.

Making a Smart Doll. One Test at a Time

The first version of PawPal was almost unrecognizable compared to its current form. It didn’t even look like a toy, just an IoT board wired to a speaker, able to hear sounds but unable to respond audibly. But that first humble version was enough to prove the concept.

The real challenge came when they tried to integrate voice interaction. “The IoT system had to receive the child’s voice, analyze it, and then produce a spoken response,” Adeline shared. “None of us were experienced in this kind of work. We had to learn everything: hardware design, AI integration, and how to manage delays in communication between systems.”

There were frequent setbacks. At times, the hardware didn’t respond at all. At others, there were delays that made the interactions feel awkward or disconnected. But the team kept going. They studied, experimented, consulted mentors, and encouraged each other through late-night debugging sessions and near-broken prototypes. When they finally saw PawPal working, able to listen, understand, and respond with intention. They knew they were creating something truly special.

Testing the Magic

To see how children and parents would react to PawPal, the team decided to test the prototype without any instructions. They handed the doll to kids and simply watched. What they saw amazed them.

“The kids figured it out right away,” Ellena recalled. “They talked to it, asked it questions, and laughed at its responses. It was so natural.”

Parents, too, responded positively. They appreciated the educational games and were especially interested in the dashboard features that let them observe how their children were interacting with PawPal, emotionally, cognitively, and socially.

The team’s guiding principle throughout the design process had been simple: Would a child find this fun? Would a parent find this meaningful? Judging by the reactions, the answer was a resounding yes.

Finding Light in the Tough Moments

Of course, the journey wasn’t always smooth. There were moments of doubt, technical dead ends, and even tension within the team. “When you care deeply about a project, you’re bound to clash sometimes,” Rachel admitted. “But we always came back to the same goal. What are we building, and why does it matter?”

When things got tough, they leaned on each other. Support from mentors like Kak Mazi Prima Reza and Kak Joshua Phartogi made a significant impact. Their guidance not only strengthened the project’s technical direction but also helped the team regain confidence when the road got bumpy.

One of their proudest moments came during the semifinal round of the competition. Seeing their team ranked second validated all their hard work and made them believe, for the first time, that their idea had real potential. But the ultimate moment of pride was being named the First Best Team and presenting their work to Mr. Harry Lee, President of Samsung Electronics Indonesia. “That felt surreal,” Rachel said. “It was the moment we realized this wasn’t just a school project. It was something bigger.”

Looking to the Future

The Rarevolution team has no plans to stop. They hope to refine PawPal by enhancing voice expressiveness, improving AI responsiveness, strengthening safety features in conversations, and redesigning the hardware to be more durable and user-friendly. Eventually, they aim to commercialize the product, making it accessible to families across Indonesia and hope to contribute to the Indonesia Emas 2045 vision

Their dream is not just to reduce screen time but to transform how children learn and connect. By encouraging real conversations and emotional engagement, PawPal opens the door to a more imaginative and human-centered childhood.

The Lesson Behind the Invention

When asked what the experience taught them, the team was unanimous: this wasn’t just a technical journey. It was a personal one. They learned how to collaborate, how to communicate under pressure, and how to build something meaningful even when time and skills were limited.

Most of all, they discovered that you don’t need to be an expert to make a difference. “There’s no better time to start than now,” they emphasized. “You just need the willingness to learn, and the courage to try. Technology can solve real problems. But only if you begin.”

And so, PawPal was born. Not just a soft, talking doll, but a quiet revolution. A companion that speaks, listens, and learns. A reminder that sometimes, the most powerful innovations are the ones that bring us closer to each other, one conversation at a time.

Looking ahead, the team hopes to continue developing PawPal into a commercially viable product. They plan to enhance voice expressiveness, optimize AI performance, strengthen content safety, and improve the physical durability of the doll. They believe PawPal can play a meaningful role in supporting the goals of Indonesia Emas 2045 by encouraging healthier digital habits and stronger interpersonal development among the next generation.

Their journey is not just a story of building a smart doll. It is a story about empathy, resilience, and the power of young people to shape the future through thoughtful innovation.

Programs like Samsung Innovation Campus are vital in bringing stories like this to life. They are more than just competitions. They are launchpads for young thinkers and builders who want to make a difference. By providing mentorship, resources, and a platform to explore real-world problems, Samsung Innovation Campus empowers students to move beyond theory and into action. For the Rarevolution team, it was the beginning of a lifelong journey of problem-solving with purpose. For every young changemaker watching from the sidelines, it is proof that you do not need to have all the answers to begin. You only need to care deeply, think boldly, and take that first courageous step.