{"id":30545,"date":"2018-11-07T21:30:26","date_gmt":"2018-11-07T21:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/11\/07\/how-marine-corps-training-prepared-this-veteran-for-a-career-making-childrens-toys\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:06:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:06:58","slug":"how-marine-corps-training-prepared-this-veteran-for-a-career-making-childrens-toys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2018\/11\/07\/how-marine-corps-training-prepared-this-veteran-for-a-career-making-childrens-toys\/","title":{"rendered":"How Marine Corps training prepared this veteran for a career making children\u2019s toys"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editors note:<\/b><\/i> Since the publication of this story, the Kickstarter campaign was canceled and Elemental Path has <\/i>shut down due to a lack of funding<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Donald Coolidge got out of the Marine Corps Reserve, he imagined he\u2019d end up working in law enforcement or some government job that had a clear correlation to his infantry training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five years later, he runs a company that makes children\u2019s toys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These aren\u2019t just any children\u2019s toys, though. They\u2019re more like intelligent companions that use voice-based artificial intelligence to educate and interact with their owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One, a talking dinosaur, won a Parent\u2019s Choice Award and was a finalist for Toy of the Year, and even made TIME magazine\u2019s 2015 \u201cBest Inventions of the Year<\/a>\u201d list \u2014 right up there with the hoverboard scooter, a bed that comes in a box and the Tesla Model X. Coolidge\u2019s company, Elemental Path, where he is the co-founder and CEO, has also been recognized as the \u201cBest Use of A.I. in Education\u201d by the Global Annual Achievement Awards for Artificial Intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, Coolidge, 32, says going from Marine to toymaker isn\u2019t really that big of a leap. Though his current role may not have the obvious crossover elements like some of the jobs he\u2019d first considered, he\u2019s using a lot of the same skills now that he learned during his 9\u00bd years in the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While working intelligence on a B-billet in Iraq, he worked with drones, biometrics and population mapping \u201cusing cutting edge technology the entire time,\u201d he said. \u201cAll these things got me excited about technology in general and how it can be used, which directly impact my work in the technology field now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marine veteran Donald Coolidge said his military experience gave him the technology and critical thinking skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur. (Elemental Path)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Plus, the military taught him the leadership and critical thinking skills he uses on a daily basis as an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou set out to accomplish something and just because one obstacle or one hurdle gets in your way \u2026 it doesn\u2019t mean you stop. You have to still accomplish that mission,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elemental Path, based in New York City, just launched a Kickstarter campaign<\/a> for its newest invention in its CogniToys product line, a talking robot named Scout. The aim is to raise $50,000 before Dec. 7. As of Wednesday, one day after the launch, the company had already raised more than $18,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coolidge said Scout \u2014 \u201ca visitor obsessed with all things planet Earth,\u201d as the robot toy is described in the campaign \u2014 is able to learn its owner and engage with him or her at their age level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe baked the educational aspect into the entire experience. You may ask a question about the moon and you get an answer to it, and (Scout) may follow up with a fun fact about the moon or ask you if you want to play a game or story about outer space,\u201d he said. And if a child tells Scout that he or she is feeling angry, sad or stressed, the robot may crack a joke or recommend some meditation exercises to aid their health and wellness.<\/p>\n\n\n\t