Smart toy
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| == Controvercies regarding smart toys == | == Controvercies regarding smart toys == | ||
| - | Widespread commercialization of smart toys is mainly a 21st century phenomenon, and as they have gained acceptance in the marketplace, controversy has been brewing. One of the chief criticisms has been that despite being technical marvels, smart toys only have very limited play value. In short, the toys neither involve the child in play activity nor do they stimulate the imagination. Consequently, despite their attractiveness on the store shelf, children quickly tire of them, and the parents' investment is wasted. Stevanne Auerbach in her book Smart Play Smart Toys introduces the notion of Play Quatient. | + | Widespread commercialization of smart toys is mainly a 21st century phenomenon, and as they have gained acceptance in the marketplace, controversy has been brewing. One of the chief criticisms has been that despite often being technical marvels, many smart toys have only limited ''play value''. In short, often these toys neither involve the child in play activity nor do they stimulate his or her imagination. Consequently, despite their attractiveness on the store shelf, children quickly tire of them, and the parents' investment is wasted. Stevanne Auerbach in her book Smart Play Smart Toys introduces the notion of Play Quatient. |
| == The smart toy industry == | == The smart toy industry == | ||
| == Selection criteria == | == Selection criteria == | ||
Revision as of 16:38, 6 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. By the mid-twentieth century toys featuring built-in media players became common. For example, Mattel introduced a variety of dolls in the 1960's and 1970's that used a pull string activated talking device to make the dolls "talk" such as the talking Crissy doll and Chatty Cathy.
However, it remained until the introduction of the microprocessors in the mid-1970s for smart toys to come into their own. Texas Instrument's Speak & Spell which came on the market in the late 1970s was one of the first full-featured smart toys. The device is similar to a very limited lap-top with a LED read-out. It is used for spelling games and guessing a "mystery code." It speaks and makes a variety of interesting sound effects. Another early example is Teddy Ruxpin, a robotic teddy bear which came out in the 1980s. It reads childrens' stories via a recording device built into its back and swivels its eyes and mouth.
Even the earliest toys from the nineteenth century on have in common with thier modern-day smart toy counterparts that they appear to be sentient and life-like at least to the extent possible using the technology available at the time.
The development of smart toys received a major boost in 1998 when semi-conductor manufacturer, Intel, and toy maker, Mattel, Inc. entered into a joint venture to open a Smart Toy Lab in Portland, Oregon. This led to products that were marketed under the Intel Play brand. The first product in the line was the QX3 Computer Microscope.
Controvercies regarding smart toys
Widespread commercialization of smart toys is mainly a 21st century phenomenon, and as they have gained acceptance in the marketplace, controversy has been brewing. One of the chief criticisms has been that despite often being technical marvels, many smart toys have only limited play value. In short, often these toys neither involve the child in play activity nor do they stimulate his or her imagination. Consequently, despite their attractiveness on the store shelf, children quickly tire of them, and the parents' investment is wasted. Stevanne Auerbach in her book Smart Play Smart Toys introduces the notion of Play Quatient.
