Smart Activity Toys

[Kipa Crawn]

TheSmart Steps Trend Activity Walker is the perfect accessory as your child prepares to take their first steps. Removable STEM-based toys attached to the tray can be easily removed and taken on-the-go. This walker promotes core strength building, grasping and reaching, and cause and effect skills. The deluxe toy console encourages playtime and will keep your baby entertained while in use.

The multi-directional wheels provide freedom of movement and the extra wide base provides superior support and stability so your baby can be confident as they navigate new terrain. The large surround tray provides plenty of space for snacks and play. This activity walker also features a 3-position height adjustable frame. For easy transportation and storage, this product offers a flat fold.

You certainly know the feeling when you are with your pet and he is sad at home alone. Just for that, we have prepared a category of smart toys for dogs and cats, where you will find devices that employ your dog and cat in your absence.

The Human Activity Recognition (HAR) research area showed great advances in the last decade, achieving excellent prediction performances and great applicability, which is reflected on the wearable sensors market adoption. However, most of the research effort concentrated on an adult target population. When considering a younger population of infants or children, currently available HAR solution based on wearable devices are not applicable anymore. In this paper we present an HAR based solution targeting infants, based on a non-intrusive and privacy-preserving measurement methodology which allows the preservation of children behaviour and the collection of objective data (particularly important for clinical observation purposes). The proposed solution, based on the usage of a set of smart toys (AutoPlay toys-set) achieves great performances in the recognition of a set of 12 toy-activity pairs, reaching accuracy values up to \(96\%\). These results pave the way to a broad application of the presented methodology on objective analysis of humans motor skills.

We would like to acknowledge first of all Emmanuelle Rossini for the definition of the idea at the base of the AutoPlay approach. We acknowledge Dr. Gian Paolo Ramelli and his neuropediatric team of the EOC Hospital in Bellinzona for supporting us in the real use case scenario data collection. We acknowledge Franesca Faraci, Alessandro Puiatti, all the SUPSI DTI and DEASS collaborators of the AutoPlay team which contributed to the collection of the real use case scenarios data, Pepe Hiller and Hape Toys for the AutoPlay toys design and production. Last but not least, we would like to thank all the families and children which trust our project and which agreed to collaborate with us.

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Abstract: In this paper, we describe the design considerations and implementation of a smart toy system, a technology for supporting the automatic recording and analysis for detecting developmental delays recognition when children play using the smart toy. To achieve this goal, we take advantage of the current commercial sensor features (reliability, low consumption, easy integration, etc.) to develop a series of sensor-based low-cost devices. Specifically, our prototype system consists of a tower of cubes augmented with wireless sensing capabilities and a mobile computing platform that collect the information sent from the cubes allowing the later analysis by childhood development professionals in order to verify a normal behaviour or to detect a potential disorder. This paper presents the requirements of the toy and discusses our choices in toy design, technology used, selected sensors, process to gather data from the sensors and generate information that will help in the decision-making and communication of the information to the collector system. In addition, we also describe the play activities the system supports. Keywords: Internet of Things; intelligent toys; health; children

Wicked Ball is a unique automatic smart toy designed to eliminate the feeling of loneliness and boredom of your pet during your absence. Lots of fun and activity - this is what your pet need! Waterproof toy made from safe, rubber material. The device offers three reaction modes: delicate, normal and active.

Wicked Ball m 3 reakčn režimy pro interakci: jemn, normln a aktivn. Je super snadn rozhodnout, kter režim zvolit, stač otevřt vnějš skořepinu a zapnout jej stisknutm tlačtka Wicked Core po dobu 3 sekund. Režim se pak přepne pokažd, když kliknete na tlačtko Wicked Core. Tři barevn LED diody nabdnou režimy: zelen - jemn režim, modr - normln a růžov - aktivn režim.

Wicked Ball has 3 reaction modes for interaction: delicate, normal and active. It is very easy to activate the selected mode - just open the device and turn it on by pressing the Wicked Core button for 3 seconds. Then the mode will switch every time you click the Wicked Core button. Three LEDs color offers the following modes: green - delicate mode, blue - normal, pink - active.

Bored cats can get frustrated and begin to exhibit unwanted behaviors. You leave a cat alone long enough, and they can take out their frustrations in other destructive ways like scratching, potty accidents, or even aggression.

I asked Dr. Marci Koski of Feline Behavior Solutions why enrichment is so important for cats. "Enrichment provides cats (and other animals) the opportunity to express natural behaviors, which can help reduce stress under stressful circumstances."

Enrichment is providing animals with needed environmental stimuli that satisfy their natural instincts, which promotes physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. It's not just for our pets either!

Environmental enrichment is used extensively with zoo animals to give them ways to practice instinctual behaviors and have some fun! Zookeepers have to get really creative with enrichment and it's a lot of fun to see what they come up with. Watch this video showing one example of how the Oregon Zoo works enrichment into the daily lives of the big cats in their care:

Taking your cat for walks can be a way of providing them with mental and physical exercise while under your watchful eye! Before you just put a leash on your cat, check out our article "How to Walk your Cat on a Leash Safely."

Consider all your cat's senses when you're trying to enrich your cats' environment. As humans, we often don't pay much attention to the smells or how something feels quite as closely as our animal counterparts do.

Imagine what senses are tapped into when your cat sits on a perch and watches nature outside! This window cat cot perch is not only great for your feline's visual enrichment but perfect for senior cats who may lack mobility and can't climb a cat tree. Just place it lower on a window so elderly cats can enjoy the outside view.

Although you would never attach a perch to an open window, it's always a good reminder that cats and open windows can be a dangerous combination. High Rise Syndrome doesn't just happen to cats living in tall apartment buildings.

Another idea to enrich your cat's environment is by providing elevated spaces or a cat tree! Check out this link for the cat tree I have in my house. It's a great price and incredibly durable after taking on our cats (and kids) for the past three years!

Don't have space for a perch? Delight your cat with the sights and sounds of nature and wildlife from the comfort of your couch. We put together this video of squirrels, Stellar's Jays, and a variety of other backyard birds for our cats to enjoy:

We are big fans of this Meowfia felt cat cave. It's a peaceful retreat that creates a secure and safe place to retire. Hand-crafted with 100% wool, a hand-stitched small entrance window is the perfect size for your cat to get in and out with a sense of total seclusion.

Many people don't have enough scratching posts and pads around their home. We have a great article on Why Cats Scratch and how you can redirect them to appropriate places. And now you don't have to sacrifice style, while outfitting your cat with plenty of places to scratch.

If you have space, a popular idea with cat lovers is a catio! It's a wonderful way to open up your cat's senses while keeping them safe in an enclosed space. Check out this video below of Serena the tabby exploring four different catios:

Depending on your particular cat, they may need their socialization centered on play. Others may enjoy food games, and others just like the affection of their humans. That affection can also be shared by brushing your cats. It's a wonderful social enrichment for your cat while strengthening the bond you two share. Check out our article on Tips for Brushing Your Cat and the best brushes for the job!

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