A toy company sells a plush bear and earns the hardware margin once. But if that bear can stay online, keep refreshing its content and record how a child grows, the toy company's business model shifts from a one-off sale to a long-term business of hardware + content + service. The prerequisite is this: the interaction layer has to be reliable, controllable and iterable. That is exactly the problem a toy module partnership exists to solve.
At Nablai we have broken the path from brief to mass production into a handbook you can actually work through, written so that toy companies and contract manufacturers can follow it side by side.
The partnership models on a single page
- OEM (white label): you design and manufacture, we supply proven modules under your own label, and you reach the market faster.
- ODM (joint definition): we define everything together - character personality, interaction logic, right through to the app and the cloud - and ownership stays with you.
How the work splits:You design and manufacture; we make it intelligent.
Seven steps, from brief to delivery
1. Requirements sign-off Target markets and languages, whether you need a camera and subscription content, the character personality, and the launch window. Write the requirements down thoroughly and there is far less rework later.
2. Platform selection Nablai's product family codes, built on Tuya T5E / Espressif ESP32S3 / PY32, are the TY Series, the LX Series and the NT Series (NanoToy being the lightweight NT Series option):
- TY Series (TY002): Tuya T5E, 60+ languages, the fast lane to overseas markets.
- LX Series (LX002): Espressif ESP32S3, full brand ownership, depth of customization available.
- NT Series (NanoToy): PY32, a pure UART command module, a low-cost way to test the water.
One thing to be clear about architecturally:Both TY002 and LX002 are dual-stack designs - a local SDK plus cloud APIs - the local side handles device logic and basic interaction, the cloud side handles LLM inference and content delivery. The difference between them is which ecosystem they belong to and who owns the brand, not cloud versus local. NanoToy is the genuinely local, cloud-free command module.
3. Prototyping: an interactive sample in 2-3 weeks (expressions, voice, basic interaction).
4. Small-batch validation: validating assembly fit, mass-production yield (we hold steady at 99%+) and the real-world experience.
5. Mass production: 3-4 months to delivery for a typical custom project.
6. Launch and after-sales OTA: expression packs, voices and interaction logic keep iterating online - no need to send units back to the factory.
7. Long-term operation: the LX Series ships with the AMS console, bringing device management, user operations, content operations and data dashboards together in one place.
Where each side's responsibility starts and stops
- Toy factory / contract manufacturer: ID design, tooling, final assembly, channels and front-line after-sales.
- Nablai: module hardware, AI cloud, app / WeChat Mini Program (customizable on LX), compliance built in, OTA and lifetime technical support.
Acceptance checklist
- Is wake latency within an acceptable range
- Does basic offline interaction work
- Does mass-production yield hit the target (99%+ as a reference)
- Are OTA updates stable and rollback-capable
- Has children's voice data compliance (GDPR / COPPA) been dealt with up front
FAQ
Q: Can OEM and ODM be mixed? A: Yes. Plenty of customers use OEM (TY) to validate an overseas market quickly, then move to ODM (LX) for a brand of their own over the long term - the two tracks run in parallel without getting in each other's way.
Q: What do we need to supply for the prototyping stage? A: The toy's mechanical drawings, your target markets, the character definition and the launch window. We fill in the rest.
Q: What does "full ownership" mean on the LX Series? A: Accounts, subscriptions, content and data all belong to the brand owner, with a customizable app / WeChat Mini Program and admin console, and support for plugging in your own LLM.
Q: What are the MOQ and lead time for mass production? A: Assessed project by project. Get in touch, and once the structure and capacity are confirmed we will give you a firm schedule.
About Nablai
Nablai is an AI company, and AI smart toys are the application area we focus on today. Our product is the AI smart toy module, and our goal is to give toy companies a product-level solution for bringing AI into their toys.
We have built three product families:
- TY Series: built on Tuya T5E, 60+ languages, the fast lane into global markets
- LX Series: built on Espressif ESP32S3, full brand ownership, deep customization
- NT Series: built on PY32, a low-cost way to test the smart toy market
- Website: https://www.nablai.com.cn
- Phone: 15917703502
- Slogan: Driven by gradients, optimized by intelligence. Powered by Nabla, Optimized by AI.
Proposal review and consultation
If you are evaluating AI toy module options, it is worth comparing them against your target market, budget range and launch timeline. Nablai provides the technical parameters and selection advice for all three families - TY / LX / NT - and we are glad to run a proposal review with you:
- Website: https://www.nablai.com.cn
- Phone: 15917703502
- Reference models: TY002D-0.85C / LX002D-0.85C / NT Series
Shenzhen Nablai Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. — AI module specialists for smart toys
📧 contact@nablai.com.cn 🌐 www.nablai.com.cn