CurioOS – A Reality-First Operating System for Curious Kids

Project journey

Done

Problem Discovery

Current

Research & Concept

Stage 3

Prototype Planning

Stage 4

Prototype Building

Stage 5

Field Testing

Stage 6

Final Report / Learning Story

Want to contribute?

This project is looking for volunteers who can help with research, design, engineering, documentation, media, and field testing.

On-site roles are mainly for Karachi-based volunteers. Remote roles may be open for documentation, media, research, and outreach.

Overview

Millions of children spend several hours every day on smartphones, tablets, and digital entertainment platforms. Most existing parental control solutions focus on limiting or blocking screen time, but they do not encourage meaningful real-world exploration, creativity, curiosity, or hands-on learning. As a result, many children become passive consumers of digital content rather than active creators, explorers, and problem-solvers. Parents often struggle to balance technology use with healthy development, outdoor activities, creative play, and practical learning experiences. Currently, children can access games, videos, and apps instantly, while activities such as building, observing nature, drawing, experimenting, reading, or creating something with their hands often receive less attention and motivation. Existing solutions mainly restrict behavior instead of inspiring positive behavior. This problem affects children, parents, educators, and society by reducing opportunities for curiosity-driven learning, creativity, critical thinking, physical activity, and real-world engagement.

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Research areas the team is exploring

Innovation Lab members should investigate: Child Psychology Why do children prefer screens? What makes exploration exciting? What creates long-term curiosity? Parent Behavior Why do parents rely on screens? What frustrations do parents face? What would make parents adopt CurioOS? Educational Research Inquiry-based learning Montessori methods Project-based learning Play-based learning Technology Android launcher architecture Parental controls Offline AI On-device vision systems

Contributor agreement

All contributors agree to the PSC Innovation Lab Contributor Agreement — covering confidentiality, intellectual property, conduct, data protection, and recognition.

Read full agreement

Open roles

This project is based in Karachi. On-site roles suit Karachi-based volunteers; remote roles (marketing, social media, documentation, research) are open to volunteers from any city.

Project Leadership

Project Lead Filled

Hybrid · Remote allowed · 1 seat

Skills: Project Management, Communication, Leadership, Documentation

Product Thinking, User Research, Documentation Responsibilities: Define features, user journeys, and project requirements.

Assistant Coordinator Filled

Hybrid · Open to all cities · 1 seat

Skills: Communication, organization, follow-up, documentation, teamwork, time management

Supports the Project Lead by helping with coordination, communication, follow-ups, and project documentation.

Research & Field Study

Community Interview Volunteer 2 open

Hybrid · Open to all cities · 3 seats

Skills: Communication, interviewing, listening, research, note-taking, report writing

Helps the project understand real user needs by conducting interviews and collecting community feedback.

Field Research Volunteer 2 open

Hybrid · Open to all cities · 2 seats

Skills: Research, observation, internet research, critical thinking, documentation, report writing

Supports the project by researching the problem, studying existing solutions, and preparing useful findings for the team.

Child Psychology & Education Advisor 4 open

Remote · Open to all cities · 5 seats

Skills: Child psychology, early childhood education, content review, age-appropriate design, research

Guides CurioOS to be genuinely good for children - advising on child psychology, age-appropriate content, and the curiosity-first, no-punishment philosophy.

Design & Documentation

Design Contributor 3 open

Hybrid · Open to all cities · 3 seats

Skills: UI/UX design, Figma, illustration, visual design, creativity, user experience

Helps create user-friendly, visually clear, and engaging designs for the project.

Documentation Volunteer 2 open

Hybrid · Open to all cities · 2 seats

Skills: Writing, documentation, organization, research, editing, report writing

Responsible for writing, organizing, and maintaining clear documentation for the project.

Marketing & Media

Social Media Contributor 3 open

Remote · Open to all cities · 3 seats

Skills: Social media management, Canva, content creation, communication, community engagement

Supports project visibility by creating and sharing social media content, updates, and awareness posts.

Content Writer Filled

Remote · Open to all cities · 3 seats

Skills: Content writing, storytelling, research, editing, communication

Writes and edits project-related content for updates, blogs, reports, and awareness materials.

Photo / Video Volunteer 1 open

On-site · Open to all cities · 1 seat

Skills: Photography, videography, video editing, storytelling, content creation

Creates visual documentation and media content for project activities, demos, testing, and public updates.

Finance & Partnerships

Budget Coordinator 2 open

Hybrid · Open to all cities · 2 seats

Skills: Budgeting, planning, spreadsheet management, organization, cost estimation

Supports the project by estimating costs, tracking expenses, and helping with budget planning.

Finance Coordinator 1 open

Remote · Open to all cities · 2 seats

Skills: Financial documentation, reporting, budgeting, organization, record keeping

Handles project financial documentation, summaries, and coordination related to expenses and resources.

Partnership Outreach Volunteer 1 open

Hybrid · Open to all cities · 2 seats

Skills: Communication, networking, proposal writing, relationship building, outreach

Helps the project build partnerships with schools, organizations, sponsors, and community supporters.

HR & Volunteer Coordination

HR & Volunteer Coordinator 2 open

Hybrid · Open to all cities · 2 seats

Skills: Volunteer management, communication, organization, leadership, follow-up

Coordinates volunteers, supports onboarding, tracks participation, and helps keep the team active and organized.

Engineering & Prototype

Engineering Contributor 2 open

Remote · Open to all cities · 2 seats

Skills: Mobile app development, Android, Kotlin, Flutter, problem solving, testing, Git

Builds the CurioOS Android launcher and parent dashboard — the core technical contributor turning the concept into a working, testable app.

Field Operations

Field Operations Volunteer 2 open

On-site · Same city only · 2 seats

Skills: Coordination, communication, field testing, observation, logistics, Android device setup

Runs the on-ground CurioOS pilot — coordinates Karachi families, sets up the app on their devices, and gathers field-testing feedback.

Lab missions

Child Psychology

Problem Discovery Open 1 CP Assigned: Fajr Rauf

Research: 5 parent interviews

Interview 5 parents of children aged 6-11 about screen-time worries, current apps, and what good screen use means to them. Capture key quotes and needs.

Research & Concept Open 15 CP Open to team

Competitor scan: parental-control launchers

Review Google Family Link, Kiddoware and 2-3 similar apps. Note what they do well, where they punish or restrict, and the gap CurioOS fills with a curiosity-first approach. Produce a short comparison.

Research & Concept Open 10 CP Open to team

Draft 10 Curiosity Quests

Write 10 short real-world curiosity challenges for kids 6-11 (observe, build, ask, explore) that the launcher can offer instead of just blocking apps. Each quest: a simple goal and a done check.

Research & Concept Open 15 CP Open to team

Launcher tech-feasibility note

Short technical note: can an Android launcher deliver CurioOS (home replacement, app-unlock gating, quest screen, parent dashboard)? List required APIs/permissions, low-end device limits, and recommended approach (native Kotlin vs Flutter).

Research & Concept Open 10 CP Open to team

Funding & sponsors

Funding details will be updated soon. Interested in supporting this project?

Sponsors & supporters

Pakistan Science Club

Seed Sponsor

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Started from a problem