Smart toy
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| == History of smart toys == | == History of smart toys == | ||
| - | Modern '''''smart toys''''' have their roots in clockworks such as the cuckoo clocks of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, music boxes of the nineteenth century, and the audio-animatronics of Disney from the twentieth. Perhaps the biggest contribution is from nineteenth century novelty and toy makers who made atomatons such as Vaucanson's ''mechanical duck'', von Kempelen's ''The Turk'', and the ''Silver Swan''. All pre-twentieth-century precursors had in common that they were mechanical contrivances or in the twentieth century simple electro-mechanical toys became common such as a variety of dolls produced by Mattel in the 1960's and 1970's that used a pull string activated talking device to make various dolls "talk." | + | Modern '''''smart toys''''' have their roots in clockworks such as the cuckoo clocks of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, music boxes of the nineteenth century, and the audio-animatronics of Disney from the twentieth. Perhaps the biggest early contribution is from nineteenth century novelty and toy makers who made atomatons such as Vaucanson's ''mechanical duck'', von Kempelen's ''The Turk'', and the ''Silver Swan''. All pre-twentieth-century precursors had in common that they were mechanical contrivances or in the twentieth century simple electro-mechanical toys became common such as a variety of dolls produced by Mattel in the 1960's and 1970's that used a pull string activated talking device to make various dolls "talk." |
| == Controvercies regarding smart toys == | == Controvercies regarding smart toys == | ||
Revision as of 23:13, 4 October 2007
A smart toy is a toy which effectively has its own intelligence by virtue of on-board electronics usually consisting of one or more microprocessors, volatile and/or non-volatile memory, storage devices, and various forms of input - output devices. It may be networked together with other smart toys or a personal computer in order to enhance its play value or educational features. Generally, the smart toy may be controlled by software which is embedded in firmware or else loaded from an input device such as a CD-ROM. Smart toys frequently have extensive multimedia capabilities, and these can be utilized to produce a realistic, animated, simulated personality for the toy. Typical examples are Amazing Amanda, Furby, and I-Dog.
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Common Confusions
Smart toys are frequently confused with toys that claim to make children who play with them smarter. Examples are educational toys that may or may not provide on-board intelligence features. A toy which merely contains a media player for telling the child a story does not qualify as a smart toy even if the player contains its own microprocessor. What best distinguishes a smart toy is the way the on-board intelligence is holistically integrated into the play experience to create simulated human-like intelligence or the appearance thereof.
History of smart toys
Modern smart toys have their roots in clockworks such as the cuckoo clocks of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, music boxes of the nineteenth century, and the audio-animatronics of Disney from the twentieth. Perhaps the biggest early contribution is from nineteenth century novelty and toy makers who made atomatons such as Vaucanson's mechanical duck, von Kempelen's The Turk, and the Silver Swan. All pre-twentieth-century precursors had in common that they were mechanical contrivances or in the twentieth century simple electro-mechanical toys became common such as a variety of dolls produced by Mattel in the 1960's and 1970's that used a pull string activated talking device to make various dolls "talk."
