OSMO: An iPad Game That You Play With Outside of the Screen

OSMO is a gaming system for the iPad that combines an app on the iPad along with activities on the desk in front of the screen such as drawing, putting puzzles together, and word games where you put letters in front of the screen. OSMO works by putting a mirror over the iPad's camera that allow the device to see the surface in front of the screen where you interact with it. Games include putting shapes together to match the shape on the screen with real-time interaction when you connect the right pieces together, putting letters in front of the screen that match the picture that's shown on the iPad, as well as a gravity type game where you draw lines on a sheet of paper in front of you to stop a ball from falling all the way to the bottom of the screen.

OSMO was created by young parents in hopes of encouraging creative thinking and social interaction among children outside of the actual screen, although that's not to say it's still not fun for adults as each game has varying levels of difficulty.

OSMO comes with four different games called OSMO Newton, OSMO Masterpiece, OSMO Tangram, and OSMO Words, all of which are available for free on the iOS app store, although Words and Tangram require physical objects that come in the set. The gaming system is compatible with any of the latest iPads, including the iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Mini, iPad Mini Retina, and the iPad Air, and will work on any type of surface.

Check out the OSMO real-world interactive iPad game in action via the GIFs and video below.